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> as bad as I thought. We will see
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Hi All,
I agree that ovoid holes are probably the best solution. Maybe I'll m=
ake a few of the ovoid guards and 1-3/8" round hole guards for next season =
and place them on boxes located where squirrels have nested/roosted in the =
past as well as where I always get Tree Swallow nests. We'll see.
As for making the holes, spending some time to construct an accurate =
template and using a router to cut out the holes (1/4' straight bit to cut =
and 1/8' corner round bit to soften edges) makes the most sense to me - alt=
hough David's method of stretching hot Plexiglas over a wooden anvil sounds=
like a fun experiment.
There are a number of options as to the actual size and shape of the ho=
le. I think the short side should be 1-3/8" but there appears to be some di=
scussion as to the length and direction of the long side. Parker makes his =
hole more than 1-1/2"wide and less than 1-1/2' high. David has it at 1-1/2"=
wide and less than 1-1/2" high. Lance Laviolette makes his 1-3/8' wide and=
2-1/4" high. There are also a number of size and shape choices online; so =
what works best is TBD. All the best.
Fritz
________________________________
From: Fritz McEvoy <fritzmcevoy@hotmail.com>
Sent: October 31, 2019 1:34 PM
To: Lance Laviolette <corvuscorax@sympatico.ca>
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Tree Swallow box report 2019
Hi All,
I agree that ovoid holes are probably the best solution. Maybe I'll m=
ake a few of the ovoid guards and 1-3/8" round hole guards for next season =
and place them on boxes located where squirrels have nested/roosted in the =
past as well as where I always get Tree Swallow nests. We'll see.
As for making the holes, spending some time to construct an accurate =
template and using a router to cut out the holes (1/4' straight bit to cut =
and 1/8' corner round bit to soften edges) makes the most sense to me - alt=
hough David's method of stretching hot Plexiglas over a wooden anvil sounds=
like a fun experiment.
There are a number of options as to the actual size and shape of the ho=
le. I think the short side should be 1-3/8" but there appears to be some di=
scussion as to the length and direction of the long side. Parker makes his =
hole more than 1-1/2"wide and less than 1-1/2' high. David has it at 1-1/2"=
wide and less than 1-1/2" high. Lance Laviolette makes his 1-3/8' wide and=
2-1/4" high. There are also a number of size and shape choices online; so =
what works best is TBD. All the best.
Fritz
________________________________
From: Lance Laviolette <corvuscorax@sympatico.ca>
Sent: October 30, 2019 9:59 AM
To: 'Fritz McEvoy' <fritzmcevoy@hotmail.com>
Subject: RE: [NatureNS] Tree Swallow box report 2019
Great to hear about your season as always Fritz.
We've discussed nest hole size before. As you know I use a 1 3/8(horizontal=
)
X 2 1/4(vertical) hole. I drill the circular hole and then jigsaw out the
extra oval. This shape will not make any difference however if Red Squirrel=
s
are getting into your 1 3/8 hole.
I have seen plans where they are using 1 1/2" diameter holes but as you
mention below, a hole that small may keep out some Tree Swallows which
defeats the entire purpose. Unless you can keep the squirrels off of the bo=
x
completely through using a predator guard on the support I think you may
have to live with the few invasions you are getting.
Cheers,
Lance
-----Original Message-----
From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca]
On Behalf Of Fritz McEvoy
Sent: Monday, October 28, 2019 8:11 PM
To: naturens
Subject: [NatureNS] Tree Swallow box report 2019
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 - an=
d
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 proble=
m
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 o=
f
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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