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Index of Subjects --00000000000059e35d05960c631b Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable What, and deprive myself of sleepless nights and dysfunctional days? Just to go the easy-peasy route? :) _________________________________ RF Lauff Way in the boonies of Antigonish County, NS. On Tue, 29 Oct 2019 at 10:01, Fritz McEvoy <fritzmcevoy@hotmail.com> wrote: > HI Randy, > Maybe you should consider banding Tree Swallows instead of Saw-whet > and Boreal Owls. It certainly would be easier than checking owl boxes.=F0= =9F=99=82 > All the best. > Fritz > > > ________________________________________ > From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca <naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca> on > behalf of Randy Lauff <randy.lauff@gmail.com> > Sent: October 29, 2019 7:59 AM > To: NatureNS > Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Tree Swallow box report 2019 > > 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, the= ir > 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<mailto: > 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 o= f > 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 > <mailto: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 t= he > largest number of successful nests I've ever had here. > 5 boxes had Flying Squirrel roosts/nests and one of those had an activ= e > 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. T= he > 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. Mayb= e > the Tree Swallow decline in this area is not as bad as I thought. We wil= l > see if next season proves just as successful as this year. > All the best. > Fritz McEvoy > Sunrise Valley (near Dingwall) CB > --00000000000059e35d05960c631b Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <div dir=3D"ltr">What, and deprive myself of sleepless nights and dysfuncti= onal days? Just to go the easy-peasy route?=C2=A0 :)<div><br clear=3D"all">= <div><div dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"gmail_signature" data-smartmail=3D"gmail_sig= nature">_________________________________<br>RF Lauff<br>Way in the boonies= of<br>Antigonish County, NS.</div></div><br></div></div><br><div class=3D"= gmail_quote"><div dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"gmail_attr">On Tue, 29 Oct 2019 at 1= 0:01, Fritz McEvoy <<a href=3D"mailto:fritzmcevoy@hotmail.com">fritzmcev= oy@hotmail.com</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" st= yle=3D"margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padd= ing-left:1ex">HI Randy,<br> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0Maybe you should consider banding Tree Swallows instead= of Saw-whet and Boreal Owls. It certainly would be easier than checking ow= l boxes.=F0=9F=99=82 All the best.<br> =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 Fritz<br> <br> <br> ________________________________________<br> From: <a href=3D"mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca" target=3D"_blank">na= turens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca</a> <<a href=3D"mailto:naturens-owner@chebuc= to.ns.ca" target=3D"_blank">naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca</a>> on behalf= of Randy Lauff <<a href=3D"mailto:randy.lauff@gmail.com" target=3D"_bla= nk">randy.lauff@gmail.com</a>><br> Sent: October 29, 2019 7:59 AM<br> To: NatureNS<br> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Tree Swallow box report 2019<br> <br> Great work, Fritz.<br> <br> I installed 8 nest boxes down the road at a horse farm; I had two swallow n= ests and one chickadee nest. I'm happy with that, and will continue mon= itoring. I wish I had the skill to look at the genetics of the birds...it w= ould be nice to know if the new nests are the same birds, their descendants= , or new birds (or likely, some sort of mix).<br> <br> Randy<br> _________________________________<br> RF Lauff<br> Way in the boonies of<br> Antigonish County, NS.<br> <br> <br> On