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Hi Fritz and all,
Plexiglass can readily be shaped by heating it in a kitchen oven.
Not having done this for 50 years I am not sure of temperature but I
would start at 130 F and increase if necessary. If left in long enough
the sharp edges are nicely rounded also.
For a 1.5" hole wide and less than 1.5" high, drill a 1.5"hole and
then heat in oven over a 2" long wooden anvil with rounded ends. Use a
jig to bend after removal from oven.
DW, Kantville
On 10/29/2019 10:48 AM, Fritz McEvoy wrote:
> Hi Parker and All,
> I've read online about using an ovoid opening like you describe
> and it would likely work. I rejected it here because it's a lot more
> work to make ovoid holes in metal or plexi. You would have to make a
> template and rout out the holes - rather than just drilling them out.
> I assumed that because the commercial predator guards used 1-1/2"
> round openings that that was the way to go but obviously they, just
> did as I did, and assumed the problem was the nest box material (wood)
> and not the hole size. I've also seen box designs using a 1-3/8" round
> hole and that probably work as well. This years experiment really only
> tells me that squirrels would prefer to squeeze through an 1-1/2" hole
> than chew 1/4" Plexiglas and Tree Swallows have no problem with a
> plexi predator guard.. As I said in my original email, someone needs
> to do the research and publish the results. All the best.
> Fritz
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* Fritz McEvoy <fritzmcevoy@hotmail.com>
> *Sent:* October 29, 2019 10:01 AM
> *To:* Randy Lauff <randy.lauff@gmail.com>; NatureNS
> <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
> *Subject:* Re: [NatureNS] Tree Swallow box report 2019
> 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.🙂 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, 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<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 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<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 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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<p>Hi Fritz and all,</p>
<p> Pl