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<a href="../201910/50724.html">pr --0000000000001e135d05960a84d6 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Great work, Fritz. I installed 8 nest boxes down the road at a horse farm; I had two swallow nests and one chickadee nest. I'm happy with that, and will continue monitoring. I wish I had the skill to look at the genetics of the birds...it would be nice to know if the new nests are the same birds, their descendants, or new birds (or likely, some sort of mix). Randy _________________________________ RF Lauff Way in the boonies of Antigonish County, NS. On Tue, 29 Oct 2019 at 04:32, Parker Donham <parker@donham.ca> wrote: > Hi Fritz, > > In the past, I've had good luck with an ovoid opening on swallow boxes, > slightly more than 1-1/2" wide and less than 1-1/2" high. Swallows with > their small heads and broad shoulders can squeeze through this, while > squirrels cannot. This usually worked to keep squirrels out. On occasion, > squirrels did chew a wider opening, so what might be ideal is some sort of > sheet metal guard with a hole 1-3/4" wide and 1-1/4" high. > > Great that you hosted so many. Tree swallows seem to be disappearing as > former hay fields and meadows grow up in brush. > > Parker > > On Mon., Oct. 28, 2019, 10:42 p.m. Fritz McEvoy, <fritzmcevoy@hotmail.com> > wrote: > >> >> >> 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 >> > --0000000000001e135d05960a84d6 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <div dir=3D"ltr">Great work, Fritz.<div><br></div><div>I installed 8 nest b= oxes down the road at a horse farm; I had two swallow nests and one chickad= ee nest. I'm happy with that, and will continue monitoring. I wish I ha= d the skill to look at the genetics of the birds...it would be nice to know= if the new nests are the same birds, their descendants, or new birds (or l= ikely, some sort of mix).</div><div><br></div><div>Randy<br clear=3D"all"><= div><div dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"gmail_signature" data-smartmail=3D"gmail_sign= ature">_________________________________<br>RF Lauff<br>Way in the boonies = of<br>Antigonish County, NS.</div></div><br></div></div><br><div class=3D"g= mail_quote"><div dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"gmail_attr">On Tue, 29 Oct 2019 at 04= :32, Parker Donham <<a href=3D"mailto:parker@donham.ca">parker@donham.ca= </a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:= 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">= <div dir=3D"auto">Hi Fritz,<div dir=3D"auto"><br></div><div dir=3D"auto">In= the past, I've had good luck with an ovoid opening on swallow boxes, s= lightly more than 1-1/2" wide and less than 1-1/2" high. Swallows= with their small heads and broad shoulders can squeeze through this, while= squirrels cannot. This usually worked to keep squirrels out. On occasion, = squirrels did chew a wider opening, so what might be ideal is some sort of = sheet metal guard with a hole 1-3/4" wide and 1-1/4" high.</div><= div dir=3D"auto"><br></div><div dir=3D"auto">Great that you hosted so many.= Tree swallows seem to be disappearing as former hay fields and meadows gro= w up in brush.</div><div dir=3D"auto"><br></div><div dir=3D"auto">Parker</d= iv></div><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote"><div dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"gmail_att= r">On Mon., Oct. 28, 2019, 10:42 p.m. Fritz McEvoy, <<a href=3D"mailto:f= ritzmcevoy@hotmail.com" target=3D"_blank">fritzmcevoy@hotmail.com</a>> w= rote:<br></div><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0px 0px 0p= x 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><br> <br> Hi All,=C2=A0<br> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0=C2=A0 I cleaned out my Tree Swallow boxes last week an= d the results were surprising good. Twenty-seven boxes were set up this sea= son and most had activity of some kind. The results were:=C2=A0<br> =C2=A0 27 boxes were used (1 is listed twice as it contained both a Red Squ= irrel and Tree Swallow next).<br> =C2=A0 18 boxes contained Tree Swallow nests with signs of breeding (all ha= d droppings, 2 contained egg fragments and 1 had a dead fledge). This was t= he largest number of successful nests I've ever had here.<br> =C2=A0 =C2=A05 boxes had Flying Squirrel roosts/nests