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Hi All,
I cleaned out my Tree Swallow boxes last week and the results were surprising good. Twenty-seven boxes were set up this season and most had activity of some kind. The results were:
27 boxes were used (1 is listed twice as it contained both a Red Squirrel and Tree Swallow next).
18 boxes contained Tree Swallow nests with signs of breeding (all had droppings, 2 contained egg fragments and 1 had a dead fledge). This was the largest number of successful nests I've ever had here.
5 boxes had Flying Squirrel roosts/nests and one of those had an active Flying Squirrel inside.
2 boxes had Red Squirrel roosts (one was on top of a Tree Swallow nest)
3 boxes were empty
All the boxes had predator guards (3" plexi squares with an 1-1/2" entrance hole). Obviously these were somewhat unsuccessful in keeping out squirrels - the only pest I am concerned about. The predator guards were undamaged so the 1-1/2" hole size must be too big. I expect they keep out pregnant Red Squirrels but allow in small Red Squirrels and most Flying Squirrels. An 1-1/2" is the standard size given for Tree Swallow boxes - and for similar commercial predator guards. I'm pretty sure remaking the guards with an 1-3/8" hole would keep out most - if not all squirrels. The problem is would it also likely keep out pregnant Tree Swallows? It's probably something that should be researched, tested and written up about out by someone - just not me.
The weather was similar to 2018 - cold and wet in June but mostly hot in July. I didn't notice a large number of swallows in the area this summer. In fact the numbers seemed low to me. So it was quite surprising when 2/3 of the boxes had Tree Swallow nests with breeding evidence. Maybe the Tree Swallow decline in this area is not as bad as I thought. We will see if next season proves just as successful as this year.
All the best.
Fritz McEvoy
Sunrise Valley (near Dingwall) CB
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