Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2003 10:42:08 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Denise Ryan Subject: Re: Snakes vs. Birds? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" I didn't have anything to do with dispatching the snake myself - the story was told after the fact. Your point is well taken - relocating to another place on the property would have been a better choice. However, I would prefer to deter snakes from eating bird eggs in nesting boxes by using metal guards. I'm sure there are other sources of food they can find. Denise Ryan Washington, DC -----Original Message----- From: Marko, Thomas L. GS BUMED [mailto:TLMarko@US.MED.NAVY.MIL] Sent: Monday, July 07, 2003 7:56 PM To: MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM Subject: [MDOSPREY] Snakes vs. Birds? I'm not sure why snakes should occupy a lower rung than birds in the scheme of things called nature? Relocated, perhaps, but certainly not dispatched with a shotgun. Tom Marko Olney, MD tlmarko@us.med.nvy.mil -----Original Message----- From: Denise Ryan To: MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM Sent: 7/7/2003 5:22 PM Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Atlasing story Last year I bought a Screech Owl nest box for my Mother to add to her bird house collection. Earlier this spring they watched a snake of some kind go into the nest box. That brought about some quick action and the black rat snake was dispatched with a shotgun after consuming at least two unidentified eggs. Mom doesn't know what is nesting in there, but it is not an owl. She thinks Robins found a home in there. Do the metal guards added to the posts of Wood Duck boxes work to deter the snakes? Can anyone recommend a pattern for making such guards or a place to purchase them? Denise Ryan Washington, DC -----Original Message----- From: Rick Sussman [mailto:Warblerick@AOL.COM] Sent: Sunday, July 06, 2003 8:33 AM To: MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM Subject: [MDOSPREY] Atlasing story Hi all, I had an interesting occurance yesterday while atlasing. There is a large, old sycamore tree on the property of an old farmstead in one of my 1/4 blocks, which always has something interesting near it or on it to watch. Last week I noticed a number of holes in the branches rather high up, and saw a flicker at one of the entrances. Sadly I also saw a good number of juvenile Starlings in the same area. A pair of E. Kingbirds has a nest nearby, and chase anything that comes close. Also last week I heard and saw a Great-crested Flycatcher in the tree, so was hoping to confirm this yesterday. While searching the tree yesterday I noticed a bit of snakeskin on a branch very close to one of the holes, flapping in the breeze. AHA! I thought, GCFL nest (they are big users of snakeskins in their nests)! I got out my scope for a better look. When I focused it on the closest hole, however, what I found was not one but a pair of black rat snakes. One was in the hole with just its head poking out, the other was just emerging from the hole, and I watched it for a while, fascinated. As it came out it began rubbing its head on the branch where the remaining cast-off skin was, continuing its shedding process. Evidently that's where the skin came from that I had first seen. This pair of snakes was about 35 feet up in the tree, and all I can hope is that they were there for Starlings and not Flickers... Rick Sussman Ashton,MD warblerick@aol.com ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================