|
Welcome to
The Bluebird Box
since 1995 |
Tree Swallows on the Bluebird Trail (Part 3)Also see Dead Tree Swallows in Nestbox and Violet Green Swallows Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 06:55:46 -0400 This is an addenda to Bruce Burdett's post about the tree swallows leaving after nesting. Last year was my first successful year with them, altho I'd been trying to attract them for a few years, so I was REALLY excited when they nested & had babies...I mean, it was like I was a new parent! I also have had terrible bug problems with my horses, so I was hopeful that they could help. At one point I watched a pair building their nest take a feather up into the air & let it float down while they dive bombed it several times until it hit the ground, at which time they started the process all over again. I was just totally awed. As soon as their little babies fledged, which I was privileged to watch & absolutely marvel over, the whole gang just disappeared....vanished! I was despondent for days; at first I thought something was wrong, but then I realized that it was something they did, but I still can't fathom why. Anybody have any ideas? I'm in lower Michigan, & they fledged probably around the first of July, so there was plenty of heat, & more than enough food, & the barn swallows across the street hang around until September. Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 10:13:43 -0400 I don't know where they go, either, but I have a picture taken last September, I think it was, of 40-50 tree swallows congregating on the telephone wires near my house. We had fledged about 25 of them from nestboxes on our trail earlier in the year. Randy Jones Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 09:50:01 -0700 H- Violet-Green Swallows (a close relative) also high-tail-it shortly after they fledge at my "home box." And like tree swallows, they arrive very early with most gone from my "trail." by the middle of July. I think they find a flock and hang out at least for a while before leaving the area, as I can always find them post season at local ponds and lakes. Anyone out there with observations of VGSW vs. TRSW? I don't think I have ever seen a TRSW nesting in downtown as I have VGSW ("wild", that is unmonitored, ones, do have a lot of trouble with HOSP, and are declining in urban areas). Also, VGSW seem to be adapted to what I term crevice nesting, not being dependent on tree holes. I've seen them nesting in crevices of cliff faces in the Columbia River Gorge, chinks caused by brick building demolition downtown, and my boxes have 2x7/8" slots not round holes. This is NOT to say that they won't nest in tree holes and round hole nest boxes, but has anyone seen *TRSW* in anything other than a round holed nest box or tree hole? Any insights into competition or limiting factors favoring one or the other? -Marsie Nufer Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 12:43:33 -0500 Horace, Hello! Yes, she did put the leaf in the box. I did check it
yesterday & it is mostly grasses cuz I saw her take every
single piece to the box & saw where she was getting the
pieces for her nest. She got them from the old garden spot that
we let grow over w/ grasses then mowed over. Yesterday she just
had the floor covered w/ the materials. I haven't checked today.
Today I got up a little later than I wanted to, but did see
her take more material to the box 2 times. I was out there for
about an hour or so before the rain washed me out. Anyway, she
was defending her box from every single bird that would come
around it. Only 2 of the times a bird came to the box itself
a Finch & a Chickadee. The other birds that would come around
were either on the ground or just flying Joleen Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2001 21:38:45 -0400 Greetings Birders of North America, Yesterday I counted 27 Tree Swallows in the air around the
house and divebombing each other and quarreling..............THE
USUAL. Though most of them won't nest here and move on to the
next trail.........wich could be miles and miles away. Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2001 12:04:19 -0400 I thought to share this with the list as it is neat. You see, my Tree Swallow grid, which is a Swallow trail with boxes placed 30yds. apart in a square shape form. This grid is located in a field, of which I don't own, just to the left of my home. Today the man who owns it and his 32yr. old son came up to mow the field. The son was the one who got the privelege to mow the swallow packed field. I was sitting on the porch when almost all the swallows came over and circled around the house. By this time some of the swallows were already divebombing the poor guy which was kinda funny looking as I don't think he has ever seen such brasin birds! What the neat thing was, is the swallows that were circling the house were getting in a "Formation" kind of form! Seriously. Then they seemed to look at me for "approval" I guess and just for the heck of it I said, "Go get 'em boys!" and with that they headed right for.............his head! I tell ya, when they started at him, they looked like a formation of F-16s on a mission! One sight I will NEVER forget. Kevin Bloom Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2001 13:57:00 -0400 Our tree swallows also dive-bomb people near their box. I have actually felt them graze my hair. Fortunately, this wears off a bit, since I can't avoid my yard altogether. They become less aggressive when babies hatch, as they are then too busy finding food for all those mouths. The swallows that have taken white feathers from me during nest building generally do not dive-bomb unless I have someone new (to them) with me. It could be worse - we had baltimore orioles a few years ago, and we had to borrow our daughter's toy hardhat to protect ourselves whenever we ventured outside. Dot (Lake Ontario snowbelt north of Syracuse NY) Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2001 09:49:48 -0500 I also provide white feathers for my Tree Swallows. They will come and take them right out of your hands, also. My wife and daughter really enjoy this. The Tree Swallows in my area will take the feathers during nest building, egg incubation, and while they have babies in the box. It seems they just can't resist the temptation of a feather! Jay Gilliam From: Bill & Dot Forrester [mailto:wforres1"at"twcny.rr.com] Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2001 9:13 AM Subject: white feathers for tree swallows Lake Ontario snowbelt north of Syracuse NY Tree swallows (TRES) arrived earlier this week and are exploring boxes. I wanted to remind people that now is a good time in the north to be gathering white feathers for them. If you float feathers on a light breeze within sight of the box (but not too close), you will get to witness close up the marvelous acrobatics of these birds as they pick the feathers out of the air. Often one will catch and then release a feather for its mate, like a game of catch. This only works as the nest is being built. Tiny soft feathers are stuffed into the nest cup, and larger ones are usually inserted straight up near the top, so the completed nest sometimes looks a bit like a Native American head-dress. I use seagull feathers, no bigger than 4", but have also used pale-colored chicken feathers when available. Gull feathers are usually abundant along the lake shore or in parking lots and school athletic fields where these birds congregate. Feather chasing is really fun to watch, especially for children. Dot Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 10:57:31 -0700 Hi All! I do this, too, for my beloved Violet-Green Swallows(VGSW). They are as acrobatic as the TRES. I read somewhere (probably a report from Cornell) that feathers are not just an adornment, but do provide for faster chick development and some protection from external parasites). I wish I could remember where I saw this information. My feather source is a local park with scads of ducks and geese (the feathers don't have to be white). The only problem is that they start the molt in June and the VGSW are finished collecting feathers (they stop when the eggs are laid) by then. So I have to collect for the next season. Personally, I like the larger breast and tertial feathers (2-5"), but the swallows love anything, except down. So I have what I call "fishing feathers" (the little 1" feathers) to see if anyone's interested before tossing out the "good" ones. Marsie Nufer Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 07:32:47 -0700 Hello all, My bluebird box faces south, and seems to work out very well.
But for tree or violet-green swallows, does the box also need
to face south? Mine faces east, has daily inspections, but I'm
wondering if this is the best direction....or if it matters.
Thanks for any thoughts. Leah, Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2001 22:36:54 -0400 Leah, In general, boxes for tree swallows should face open fields and away from roads. If nestboxes are paired, Tree Swallows seem to prefer the one that faces south. Paul Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2001 10:14:20 -0400 (EDT) First off - mama and daddy blue have 5 eggs in our nest and started incubation yesterday - YEE HAA! Second - I was wondering - we've had a couple of tree swallows checking out our 2nd bluebird house (it's paired 10-15 feet from the house that our blues are in) and wanted to know if the trees are bothered by traffic. Our houses are about 10-12 feet up on a hill and about 10-12 feet from a two-lane paved road that is fairly busy during the day. Both houses face east (which is away from the wind and the road is behind the houses), but I read someone else's email regarding tree swallows saying the house should face south and away from traffic. Do you think that the traffic will bother the tree swallows, should I turn the house to face south, and what can I do to "attract" the trees so they pick my house? ... Thanks! Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2001 16:28:14 -0400 To: Dusty, et al, I should have said "Here in NH the Tree Swallows nest ONCE and disappear." Maybe in other places that's not so. I gather it's not so in CA, where Dusty is. Does any of you have 2nd nestings of TRES in one summer? Bruce Burdett, NH Bluebird Conspiracy, Sunapee NH Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2001 20:10:39 -0400 The only time Tree Swallows have a second nesting, in my experience,
is when the first nesting attempt has failed. Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2001 20:42:08 -0400 Chris Statton, Last year was the first year I ever had a 2nd nesting of tree swallows. Two pairs of backyard TRES each nested twice ... successfully producing 24 babies (eggs: 8 & 7 in first nesting; 4 & 5 in second). I knew TRES nest twice in southern areas, but had never heard of them nesting twice in the north. This year, in one set-up of tripled boxes - each in a line of about 10' or so between the boxes - all three boxes are occupied by tree swallows - with almost no bickering among them. Wish the blues would be willing to nest so closely to each other. :-) Date: Thu, 03 May 2001 18:27:35 -0400 My blues have taken over a new nest and have 5 eggs in it. My question is the tree swallows that took over the original nest. They seem to be hanging around a lot a at least one of them spends a lot of time in the box. Several times I have seen him/her take a beak full of grass into the box. Another pair keeps checking out a thire box about 25 feet away. Again spending lots of time looking in and only a few blades of grass in this one. What is there breeding and nesting schedule? How many eggs normally, and incubation time. Thanks Lynn near Reading Pa. Date: Thu, 3 May 2001 11:47:58 -0700 Thank you, Kathy, for seconding something that I have been seeing for the last three years! I have four pairs of boxes and one that sits by itself and, for each of the last three seasons, TRSWs have taken each of two of the pairs. For the first five years of pairing, either different species used one of each pair or one of each pair went empty but that all changed. When I originally posted this, the reaction was not, how can I say it, positive but, now that more folks have observed this, I'm not the lone voice in the wilderness! Judy Mellin From: KCBSP"at"aol.com To: v.m.straus"at"mail.wdn.com Subject: Screaming on the bluebird trail In a Message dated 5/2/2001 4:36:50 PM Eastern Daylight Time, v.m.straus"at"mail.wdn.com writes: I can only add a tiny bit of info, Paul. I started my first
box last year and the bluebirds fledged 3 right off the bat.
When I opened the box to clean it, it was FULL of mites. So,
all I can say, is that it is at least possible for the chicks
to fledge even though they have a box full of mites. Sorry I
can't add more. VMS Now there's one for the list.. SCREAMING on the bluebird trail :) Kathy Clark Date: Sat, 5 May 2001 08:52:35 EDT The only thing that will be anthropomorphic about this post is the subject line! I am fascinated by the behavior of the Tree Swallows (TRES) that I have been observing ( from a distance ) in my yard. I have not had the opportunity before to observe TRES so closely ( from a distance - sitting on my deck ). There are two boxes paired in the front lawn. Eastern Bluebirds (EABL) are incubating five eggs in one and a pair of TRES have chosen the other. For about two weeks the TRES have been around every day, sometimes just flying around, often going in and out of the box, very often one of them stays in the box for a long time with its head poking out just looking. Last year I observed ( elsewhere - not in my yard ) them doing this during incubation but this year they were doing it lots before they even started a nest. Finally a few days ago I observed them starting to build a bit. I know they often take a long time to build their nests. But the really interesting thing I have been observing is the way they protect the box AND the "air space" above it. I have read that they protect the immediate area around the box and this seems to be the case. They and the EABL quickly sorted themselves out without very much ado around the boxes. But what is really interesting and admirable I think is the way the TRES seem to be controlling the bowl of sky above. If anything that could be considered threatening crosses this "air space" the TRES appear ( even if they did not seem to be in the area they appear as if from nowhere) and see the intruder off. So far they have re-directed other TRES (many times), crows (several times), Bluejays (a few times) Red-tailed hawks (twice), and last night a large seagull ( not sure what kind - it was quite high up ). This is just while I've been watching. Nothing even gets low down enough to GET near the box. I admire their devotion and tenacity to a box that doesn't even have much in it yet ( I checked yesterday - only time in the two weeks they've been here ) and there is just the smallest start of a nest. It seems to me that they are protecting a much wider area around the box than the books say but that they act ( I won't say think ) on a different plane from us. They are protecting UPWARDS ( very high upwards ) which seems to me eminently sensible for a bird! Now I know I will probably get some expert writing to say that this is not what they are doing ( but if so please say what they ARE doing then ), or others who will say this is old hat to them and they've seen it many times from TRES. * Is* it common or do I have an unusually defensive pair? Whatever - I, in my innocence, am finding it interesting and plan to keep records of how many species they control through their chosen "air space". Jane Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 13:52:05 -0400 Good day folks, I just wanted to let you know the bluebird box now contains 5 blue eggs! But I have a couple of questions. This morning the mother bluebird from inside the box kept tree swallows from entering. Tree swallows stayed in the area so.... and I don't know if the timing is all off and I should have just watched from the sidelines .... I put up another box 15' away as suggested hoping that the two birds can coexist. I watched all morning. The bluebird (male) is not crazy about having tree swallows move in and flies at the tree swallows whenever they try to enter the new box. It's not likely is it that by trying to fix a problem (by putting up a new box nearby ) I created one (the bluebirds leave their nest/eggs behind & move elsewhere)? Another question came up this morning when I discovered the base nest of a house wren in a box set up in trees in the back yard. I also saw the wren up close. The bluebird & now tree swallow boxes are in the open in a field about three-four hundred feet way. Should one discourage house wrens from taking up residence ie. pull the twigs out of the box knowing they can be so destructive to other birds' eggs. Thank you for any of your own experiences, insights, advice. I enjoy the newsgroup. Joe (from Canada) Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 15:10:03 -0400 (EDT) Hi Joe and all, Some people have the belief that if you already have Bluebirds don't encourage Tree Swallows. This idea was created by Tree swallows taking all boxes provided. Pairing was thought of and proved to be a way to also have Bluebirds since two pair of Swallows don't favor nesting within 15 ft. of another Tree Swallow. In areas heavily populated with Tree Swallows pair boxes so you can get one with Bluebirds. In your case there is no need to put up the second box unless you want to get Tree Swallows. By my way of thinking putting up another box will not hurt anything. The bickering between Bluebirds and Swallows will taper off as both finally settle in. They don't physically hurt each other in their battles. Your choice. Joe Huber Venice, Fl. ... Date: Fri, 11 May 2001 23:39:15 -0400 For the first time, I have had a tree swallow in my yard. Over the past week or so, they have been peering into a nestbox, sitting in it looking out, sitting on top of it. So far, however, the box is empty. Since I have no close experience with TRES, I don't know how to interpret this behavior. Questions: Thanks for any info you can give me. Katherine Date: Sat, 12 May 2001 16:13:38 -0400 Haleya Priest Amherst MA Hi Katherine, TRES are JUST now nesting in MA. I have one box of 17 that is actually incubating. A few have just a few eggs and most have none at all. TRES are really unpredictable. Just as they fly foot loose and fancy free, so is their nesting behavior. One nest might be almost all feathers, the next mostly nesting grasses. One pair like chicken feathers, the next blue jay feathers. Sometimes they'll start a nest immediately upon claiming a box, sometimes it seems to take weeks! They are lots of fun to keep track of. I bet they'll start a nest soon. Make sure there are no wasps in the box. Watch for "claim straws". They have one clutch a year unless their first attempt fails. TRES do not eat mealworms. They eat bugs from the air. Keep us posted! :-) Date: Thu, 17 May 2001 12:04:37 -0400 Thanks to everyone who gave me valuable info about tree swallows. As for the update, there's not much news. These guys have been loitering around my yard on and off for days. Usually I see only two, but the other day I saw four and it looked as though there were some sort of territorial squabble going on - either that or a lively game of tag. A few days ago (May 14), I actually saw a pair copulating on a high branch. However, according to Stokes, TRES start laying eggs about a week after mating, and nest-building takes from two to four weeks.... so if these guys don't have even the beginnings of a nest yet, they're going to be laying eggs on the floor! :-) Somebody (was that you, Shelly?) pointed out that this may be a different pair, and they may already have a nest somewhere (I hope so, for their sake) and that it may be another pair that's inspecting the box. Yesterday and the day before it was rainy, and I was sick, so I didn't get out much, but today, once again, I saw them inspecting the same nest box as before (this box, for those who asked, is "paired" with the Gilbertson box the chickadees are in), but there are still no nesting materials in it. There are a few wood chips that I had put in at the beginning of the season, and a little "cluster" of pine needles (just three needles joined together at one end) which I hesitate to think of as a "claim straw", but who knows? Question: -- Date: Thu, 17 May 2001 14:06:31 -0400 I had a call today from the woman who keeps our cats (house) when we are away. Said she saw bluebirds on two paired houses on our corner, across the lot 300' from where our bluebirds are in the midst of fledging. I dashed over and checked. Tree swallows with four eggs in one box, house sparrow with two eggs in the other. I closed up the tree swallow nestbox, telling the divebombing mama TRES that she was most welcome, punctured the sparrow eggs, and returned to watching what I hoped would be a fledging. No luck. I've heard that spreading feathers about is responded to positively by TRES, but I doubt it will either persuade or dissuade them regarding a nest. Question: SEE ABOVE. RANDY JONES Date: Thu, 17 May 2001 15:18:34 -0400 Bill & Dot Forrester wrote: All the TRES I've had over all these years refuse to begin nesting in a box ... Thanks, Dot, I will immediately go out there and remove anything that's in the box (unless they've started a nest). The wood chips are really down to a minimum - they don't even cover the floor. But I will make it squeaky clean. (Wouldn't a natural cavity have some kind of plant debris in it?) In fact just today, more than once, I have seen both male and female leaving the box, one after the other, the undeniable implication being that they were in there together. What *could* they have been doing? Is it possible that they are just using the box as a rest stop? I have read (Stokes) that there is great variation in TRES nest-building behavior, so as long as they are around, I will keep hoping. -- Date: Thu, 17 May 2001 15:59:16 -0700 I was interested in the reply from Dot re TRES. I had an EABL around a box since March 8, and a nest was built in #4. Went away early April for 3 weeks and came back to find that TRES had taken over the 4 BB boxes. Checked the boxes May 8th - and 1 & 3 had TRES nests and 4 eggs in each. May 15th #2 also had 4 TRES eggs, but interestingly # 4 still had the original EABL nest in it but no eggs, even though the TRES are around it all the time. Alan Cullum Date: Thu, 17 May 2001 16:25:17 -0400 Haleya Priest Amherst MA I opened a TRES box up the other day and there were two TRES in there - one on top of the other. I'll let you come to the final conclusion of what they were doing in there!!!!!! I never heard the clean the box out so carefully - but I do agree with the Stokes that they are VERY unpredictable when it comes to nest building, timing, etc. They break all the rules - better yet, they just don't seem to have many rules!! I almost think each TRES nest is like a snowflake - there are never two a like. One will build a big nest, another practically no nest at all, another with no feathers, another with jay feathers, another with chix feathers - you name it! Some with trash, etc. I found a TRES nest the other day with a small store receipt laying right on teh bottom of the nest - I could see all the numbers, etc. As if they were reading it while sitting in the nest! It fit the nest cup perfectly. Date: Thu, 17 May 2001 16:36:18 -0400 The part about the clean box is weird. On rural trails, it was not unusual to find TRES nesting on top of old nest materials. In my neighborhood, however, they seem to have a fit if anything is already in the box, flying around with alarmed noises and looking in the hole but refusing to enter. They often sit on the TV antenna and wait for me to clean it out. My very first pair of backyard bluebirds did a similar thing - there was a partial swallow nest with male watching (female had been killed) - and the bluebird pair acted as though they expected me to clean out the box instantly (which I did). Two TRES together inside also seems to be common. They will dash in at full speed, one right after the other, and chatter noisily, but I don't think there's enough room inside for mating. They much prefer my TV antenna for that. Haleya's right about the nest, too. Our first TRES backyard nest was so big that the top feathers were bent under the roof, and the next one was so small that you could see bare wood through the bottom. TRES are also prone to rapidly building a nest and then completely disappearing for a few days before continuing the nesting cycle. They are oddballs for sure, but fun to have. Dot Date: Fri, 18 May 2001 22:04:19 -0400 Haleya Priest Amherst MA Another way to limit TRES nesting - at least here in western
MA - is to get all boxes up EARLY, before the TRES arrive. That
way EABL have first pick of boxes and they'll take most of the
boxes. Once the TRES return, avoid (if you can) putting up new
boxes until well after they've started to nest - unless you
put up paired boxes. Now this is especially true for folks with
trails. Obviously for those who have one or two boxes don't
stop yourself from putting *** Keith & Sandy Kridler wrote: Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas I would like to see every backyard birder with only a couple of nestboxes mount their box to a telescoping pole so that the box could be easily raised and lowered up to the 7 or 8 foot cat resistant height. I would like to see each pole fitted with the Ron Kingston type 8" stovepipe guard to reduce the possibilities of climbing predators and place a dab of grease up under the stovepipe so that you can see if snakes are trying to reach the nest and also to stop ants and climbing insects. A 1&1/2" round entrance hole in the east and a 1&9/16" round hole in the west and we have eliminated starlings from entering the box. There are still a few predators that we cannot stop with this
set up but you have done ALL that is passively possible! There is no need
to worry too much about the loss of eggs or even young as these birds will
renest as often as it takes until they raise some young. Bluebirds can
lose 15 eggs in a season and still raise enough young to continue their family
line of descendents. Give the birds plenty of choices in nest sites
and lots of empty boxes and you WILL increase the numbers of birds fledged
and ANY native bird fledging young in one of your boxes should be considered
a In 1979 I "deleted" very few adult house sparrows and actually lost very few native birds to them in areas high in concentration with the sparrows. The strong do learn how to coexist or at least survive and this is what our goal should be! We should be helping the smartest and strongest individuals of the native species to stick around into the next century and not worry about the jays, hawks, crows and other "predators" that we see near our birds! There are over a billion domestic chickens in the US that were genetically selected for fast growth. They have lost all ability to find natural food and water for themselves or even to raise their own young. This has happened in less than 50 years. Losses to us seem cruel but it teaches the adults to be better parents the next nesting or at least to choose a better mate! KK Date: Sat, 19 May 2001 00:25:30 -0400 (EDT) Haleya,your comment about avoiding TRES by getting the boxes up early jolted my short term memory a bit. I had apair of EABLs checking out a box the first part of Feb.-- not every day, but more frequently as time wore on,entering the box and the whole nine yards,like they owned it.But when the TRES returned--they took over thebox the first day.No argument, it was their box, period.And the EABLs took another box about 20ft. away.Funny part was that it was weeks before the TRES even started to build a nest.But they both have thier progeny started---the EABLs have hatched and the TRES with the usual 6 eggs. Yes, I've had TRES take over a box when it was put up after
they returned --almost immediately after it was erected ! But
recently I've had sucess on single box sites by erecting another
box when I see EABLs in the area-- even if HOSP have claimed
the original box.I usually just move in an unproductive box
from another site. Date: Sat, 19 May 2001 09:31:38 -0400 I have two nest boxes that the TRES spend all day flying in
and out of... Sometimes they are carrying sticks or twigs or
grass in their mouth, sometimes not. This has been going on
for about three weeks now.... Well... if this is a TRES nest,
I don't know why they bother.. there is just a little handful
of nest material in the bottom of the box, not even placed in
any particular way. Is this is TRES nest? or are they not nesting,
just playing? They sure seem to love these nest boxes; I can
look out almost any time of the day, and one is going in or
out. Date: Sat, 19 May 2001 10:41:40 -0400 (EDT) Hello Theresa,The Tree Swallows are visiting this box to often to not have a nest in it. They will arrange the nesting material in due time and make it look like a nest. They may appear to be playing but they only look that way to us people. Very soon they will have a complete nest and laying eggs. Joe Huber venice Fl. Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 09:59:33 -0400 Questions 1. Is it o.k. say once a week to briefly look in the TRES box as we do with the EABL? (....is it true that EABL have a poor sense of smell, and therefore = tolerate human presence more than another species would?) 2. I am now wondering if the boxes mounted on steel posts about 5-5 1/2 ft off the ground are safe from predators. My main concern is hungry racoons. Snakes up here aren't (as far as I know) a problem. Recently, there was a discussion about coating the base of the posts/poles with a grease. Is vaseline a good choice? Axle grease seems too toxic a remedy. Again, I would like to say thank you for the advice given by this newsgroup re: pairing boxes. For someone new to this kind of activity the info has made all the difference to the small success I've had so far.I am happy to say the first box that went up in a nearby field was taken by bluebirds and now there are 5 fledglings. ( My partner Cathy was really thrilled to peek in box yesterday to see the 5, all with eyes still closed!) After the bluebirds arrived swallows came knocking and so a second box was put up for them following directions given by members here. That box now has 4 white eggs. Off some distance away in a deciduous wooded area is a box which a house wren has claimed. So far so good. Joe ( in Canada ) Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 16:12:46 -0400 Randy Jones Questions 1. Is it o.k. say once a week to briefly look in the TRES box as we do with the EABL? YES. (....is it true that EABL have a poor sense of smell, and therefore tolerate human presence more than another species would?) I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE MAKING A COMPARISON, BUT THE IDEA THAT PARENTS WILL ABANDON BECAUSE NESTLINGS HAVE BEEN HANDLED IS AN OLD WIVE'S TALE FOR BLUEBIRDS (EABL). 2. I am now wondering if the boxes mounted on steel posts about 5-5 1/2 ft off the ground are safe from predators. My main concern is hungry racoons. Snakes up here aren't (as far as I know) a problem. Recently, there was a discussion about coating the base of the posts/poles with a grease. Is vaseline a good choice? Axle grease seems too toxic a remedy. YOU DEFINITELY NEED PREDATOR GUARDS. VASELINE DOES NOT SOUND LIKE A GOOD CHOICE. THERE ARE OTHERS WHO CAN RESPOND BETTER THAN I CAN ON WHAT TO USE WITH A GUARD. SO FAR, I'VE HD GOOD SUCCESS WITH A LENGTH OF 2-FOOT PVC OF 4 INCH DIAMETER SUSPENDED UNDER THE NESTBOX BY USE OF A RADIATOR CLAMP SO THAT IT "FLOATS" FREE, WITHOUT GREASE. CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR SUCCESS SO FAR. Date: Tue, 22 May 2001 17:30:02 -0400 It's raining here, today - finally! We really needed it, but the birds are drenched. The Tree Swallows, who have apparently decided to nest in the box paired with the Gilbertson box that the chickadees are in (see earlier posts) have not been seen today, and I'm not surprised. Over the past few days they have brought a certain amount of material to the box - mainly pine needles, dry grass, and little stringy stuff from I don't know what tree - but the contents of the box do not yet resemble a nest. My questions: What do Tree Swallows do when it rains? Since they are aerial foragers, do they starve if it rains for several days consecutively (I know nestlings often die in this situation, but what about the adults?)? Do they glean bugs off trees in an emergency? And will they suspend nest building for days, until the weather improves? At this rate there won't be any eggs till July!!! -- Date: Tue, 22 May 2001 20:18:48 -0400 Haleya Priest Amherst MA Dear Katherine, The moms stay in the boxes an incubate. All those feathers in the box keeps them toasty! Like all birds, they can live a day or two or more on body fat. When I worry about TRES in the cold, I remember just how high their populations are and that reminds me that they are doing SOMETHING right to keep themselves ok through the cold weather!!! :-) Last year was nasty cold and many of us were especially worried about the TRES. But no one reported terrible losses of the TRES poplulations. Those little birds (I still think they are bats with cloaks) are tough and I wouldn't worry about them one bit!!! They may seem flighty and unpredictable, but I think they are much smarter and more tough than we can imagine. ;-) H Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 23:52:22 -0400 Haleya Priest Amherst MA Someone posted questions about TRES and the cold a couple days ago. I said that I'd heard TRES hang out over water when air temperature is cold as water gives off heat.... Well, I was by a pond today and I couldn't believe how many TRES were over the pond! Must have been food galore for them. My early bird TRESSERS have 6 new babies today!!! I saw the parents bringing in food all day long - so again, here it is quite cool and they are digging up bugs from somewhere......:-) H Date: Mon, 28 May 2001 11:51:44 -0400 What a thrill! There are lots of TRES around here. Are only the parents responsible for these babies, or do others in the group help? -Theresa"at"BowEcho.com Date: Mon, 28 May 2001 17:15:22 -0400 Theresa, Tree Swallows start incubation with the next to last (penultimate) egg. Hatch occurs 13-14 days later. Fledging occurs 16-30 days after hatch. Beware that Tree Swallows are sensitive to weather; they will interrupt laying and/or delay incubation if weather is bad and food is scarce. Brenda Date: Mon, 28 May 2001 21:07:58 -0400 Could I have run my TRES off? It is starting to get dark, and there are lots of TRES flying around catching bugs, so I hate to complain, but could I have scared them off by messing with their nest? -Theresa"at"BowEcho.com Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 11:50:06 -0500 On my web site I have the table from Dorene Scriven's Book "Bluebird Trails - A Guide to their Success" that details this information for many of the possible cavity nesting birds. Here is the direct link to the table http://audubon-omaha.org/bbbox/bbtabl1.htm To answer your specific questions here is that information: Incubation period 14-15 days(13-16 days possible) Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 19:54:01 -0400 Hi Cinda, and all other novice tree swallow "guardians", Tree swallows (TRES) do not tolerate interference as much as bluebirds do. They will not abandon if you look, but they will become upset and divebomb you. If you have never seen their nesting cycle, naturally you are curious. Probably the safest time to look at babies is a few days after eggs have hatched and the female no longer stays in the box with them all the time. I personally am a firm believer in leaving our wild visitors alone as much as possible. I do not interfere with my TRES unless there is an obvious problem such as parents refusing to enter the box or flying round and round making alarmed calls. I see no need whatsoever (under normal circumstances) to be handling the eggs or young of any bird species. *IMPORTANT* Boxes for tree swallows should be rough on the inside front under the entrance hole. TRES toes were not made for climbing, and standard bluebird boxes are often too deep for their shallow nests. Parents do not return to the box to feed the young inside once the first one has fledged. All too often, the first two babies fledge by standing on top of the others, but the rest can not climb out, and starve to death. I learned this lesson from bitter experience, and can assure you that there's nothing much worse than watching over a month's work by TRES ending with 3-4 healthy dead babies who simply could not climb up to the hole to get out. If you make your own boxes, use rough-cut lumber for the inside front. If your purchased box is new and/or smooth inside, it would be wise to risk the swallow's wrath and quickly open the box to score or gouge out the inside front to provide toeholds - a tool such as an old screwdriver will do the job in a hurry. If you've looked at the Antietam nestbox camera, you can see the scored lines running horizontally across the inside front under the hole. Don (Ontario) Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 20:59:19 -0400 With all due respect to Dot, I disagree with the statement she wrote below: Tree swallows (TRES) do not tolerate interference as much as bluebirds do. I quote a well-known Tree Swallow expert, researcher, and professor at Cornell, "It would take a sledge hammer to make a tree swallow abandon a nest." Yes, it's true they will divebomb you. They will also squawk and scold you and they'll look fierce. They are defending their territory and their nest. But, they will not harm you and they will not abandon. Want to peek in during the egg laying period to see how many eggs there are? Go ahead. It's not a problem. Want to peek in after incubation has started? Go ahead. You may see the female on the nest looking right back at you or hiding in the feathers. You can also peek in after the eggs have hatched. While roughing up the inside below the hole for the chicks is accepted procedure, I, however, am not so sure it's entirely necessary. I band tree swallows (both adults and chicks) and part of the method is to have the bird grip my finger. I can attest that tree swallows do have a strong grip. I would appreciate someone telling me if there was a study done regarding the ability of tree swallow chicks to climb various surfaces to the hole. I wish I knew why many of our procedures became accepted and, therefore, gospel. Another one I question is the required dry nest. Remember the bluebird nest in the top of a fence post last year? That must have gotten wet when it rained, but they fledged. The nestbox itself dries quickly; wouldn't that wick the water away from the nest? And nest replacement because of blowfly infestation. Terry Whitworth has previously stated that chicks were little "blood-producing machines" and he felt nest replacement due to blowfly larvae was normally unnecessary. I'm tired. Can you tell? I'm off the soapbox now and prepared for your angry responses. Brenda Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 21:25:24 -0400 I am happy to report that the pair of TREe Swallows I wrote about earlier has begun laying eggs in the nestbox on my lawn. Today at around 5:00, when I saw the female leave, I looked in and found two white eggs. This would seem to indicate that the first egg was laid yesterday. I have read that they can interrupt egg-laying and even incubating, but I know there were no eggs three days ago. There were a few feathers in the nest, but not many; I think the TRES may have difficulty finding soft white feathers around here, so the other day I took a few from one of my pillows and placed them near the box. Meanwhile it rained, and the feathers got wet. I have no idea whether they are using the ones I offered, or if they were successful in finding others on their own. This female is brown - a lovely taupe color, actually, so I think she must be in her first breeding year. I hope her first nesting experience is a successful one. I have seen both the male and female looking out of the nest; I know the male doesn't brood; is it common for him to spend time in the nestbox after eggs are laid? Questions: How much monitoring will TRES tolerate? I have been looking in fairly regularly, when I see the adults are not in the box (on the order of once a day), because TRES are a new experience for me and I'm anxious to learn all I can about them. I also want to know the number of eggs in the clutch (for TBN). Once incubation starts, I will decrease the frequency with which I look. The box they are using does not have a predator guard. (I didn't put one up originally because I didn't think the box was being used.) I would like to put a stovepipe baffle on it. This would entail taking the box down for about 3 minutes while I mount the baffle. Do you think it's too late to do this? I would hate to have them abandon their nest and eggs. -- Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 21:40:01 -0400 Hi Brenda and all, I meant only that tree swallows are more aggressive toward humans than most bluebirds. I also said that tree swallows would not abandon just because someone looks inside the box. I always get an egg count for TRES and check every few days to see that chicks are all OK. I was trying to make the point that too much interference in the life cycle of wild birds is not such a good thing, and that there is no need to be handling eggs and chicks under normal circumstances. The majority of people on this list, like me, are not banders or scientists. I see no need for us to be constantly poking into bird boxes unless there is an obvious problem. As for roughening up the inside of the box, I have found my own dead TRES chicks trapped inside and have read quite a few similar posts to this list over the past couple of years. How can it hurt to make the inside rough instead of taking a needless chance? Dot Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 19:09:10 -0700 Hi Brenda and all; ... Yes, it's true they will divebomb you. They will also squawk and scold you and they'll look fierce. They are defending their territory and their nest. But, they will not harm you and they will not abandon. I have a lot of TRES. Actually, I like them better than most of the other box users. They're incredible "sticky", refusing to give up the nest even when I lift her up with a finger in order to count the eggs under her... I usually try to catch each female once during the nesting cycle so that I can check her for bands, injury, and so on... I've taken 'em out, looked 'em over, and put 'em back, and all she did was snuggle down over the eggs and pretend that she didn't see me...(:-)! I don't know about the roughing up the box part. The ones I monitor aren't like that. On Saturday I made the mistake of opening a box I shouldn't have (it was on the verge of fledging). I got off by one column in my chart, and opened a box with ready-to-fledge young. As soon as I did that, they started thrashing around, and instead of getting to grab what I thought was a brooding female on 10 day eggs, I got a 23 day old hatchling! I put it back, without examining it, and quickly and carefully closed the box. I held the hole closed and tried to listen to make sure I didn't snag somebody with the door. Things quieted down, so I removed my hand from the hole and stepped back. Then, as we stood 2 - 3 feet from the box, each one jumped up, looked out of the hole at me, and in 10 second intervals--took off! I was absolutely mortified that I'd caused an early and probably unplanned fledging. But as each one jumped out, it was so incredibly gratifying to see them flutter and struggle as they approached the ground, and then clearly get a handle on what it was all about and begin to fly and climb. Each one flew to the same pine tree about 80 meters from the box. Each one, after a rocky start, seemed to catch on, and flew in that peculiar zig-zag pattern looking much like an adult... It was clear that they were doing just fine! As we came back through that area on the return trip, we could see them flying after the parents getting fed in flight...SO NEAT! L8r all, Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 22:37:48 -0400 Brenda Did you read my posts about my cold TRES eggs, and the adults that haven't gone in the nest box since yesterday? I took the box down for a few minutes to fix the latch. I didn't know there were eggs in it until I took it down. I put it right back up in it's usual place within about ten minutes. They haven't gone in the box since, and I checked the eggs this afternoon and they were cold. They LOOK in, but I have not seen them GO in since yesterday. Do you think the adults will go back into the box and incubate these eggs? Worried in Michigan -Theresa"at"BowEcho.com Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 23:15:13 -0400 Hi Katherine and congrats on your TRES eggs! It is not too late to put on a predator guard. You might want to look at the design of the PVC baffle (find it on NABS' fact sheets) as it is so much easier to build and handle!! Same idea as a stove pipe, but less work and less chance of injury handling cut stove pipe. I can make PVC baffles (I am in the middle of making one dozen now) in about 10-15 minutes. In terms of the feathers in the nest: I believe TRES nests are like snow flakes. You'll never find two identical!! On one of my golf course sites I have about 6 nesting TRES and each nests boasts different feathers - and one no feathers at all!!! But you can see if your TRES want your down feathers. A good experiment. Egg-laying: Yes, TRES are terribly unpredictable. She might lay one a day, and may lay one and skip a day or two or even a few! Or she could lay every day like clockwork. Avoid monitoring ANY bird's nest between 7 am and 10:00am if you know they are in a laying stage. This is when they lay and you sure wouldn't want to disturb her during that time! Frequency of Monitoring: I believe in frequent monitoring and I find that TRES don't mind being monitored as long as you are very courteous. Many feel this as "excessive" but I stop a lot of trouble before it starts this way. But not absolutely necessary. You'll find your own rhythm. TRES nests are a bear to monitor because if it has a lot of feathers you won't know what is a feather, what is a baby, what is a mom, and what monsters await you under all those feathers!!! I have a 4' tomato stake set up about 4' from my backyard TRES nest. Happened to be there from my garden and I didn't move it when I set the box. Well, the male perches on that pole endlessly. I recommend this as he can protect the nest better this way. Hope this answers some of your questions! :-) Keep us posted! H Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 23:56:44 -0400 Haleya Priest Amherst MA Are you sure they were incubating to start with?????? She might be still laying, in which case they would be cold until she finished laying. They might be off having a break. I doubt they'd abandon ship just for that reason. Of course it is possible, but don't panic and pull the eggs until you know for sure! I was over at a friend's house tonight. She had two nests of eggs and babies gobbled up by snakes. Both nests are in process of relaying. We took the entire TRES nest down, pulled out the nest with eggs to get the old box off the post. We re-attached the box to a electric conduit, put on a PVC baffle and put the box back up and the nest back in. I never worried parents wouldn't return. Took a good 10 minutes. Keep us posted! H Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 08:04:18 -0400 Hi Brenda and all, My very first back yard tree swallow nesting came about 10 years ago, in a brand-new box. Before then, on my trail, I only got to check the TRES every few days. Those boxes were well-weathered with no smooth surfaces. Since this close-up view of activities was new to me and the box could be easily seen from the garage back window, I watched constantly when fledging was due. I had seen 6 healthy chicks when I checked this box 4 days earlier. I saw the first two TRES fledge, and saw the next one peering out the hole. We had to leave for the weekend an hour later. When we returned, I checked the box expecting to find it empty. Instead I found 4 dead chicks who were fully developed with no signs of injury or illness. I know for sure that at least one of them, the one I saw at the hole before we left, was not sick. The only reasonable assumption I could make is that he and the other three could not climb out. I can think of no other explanation. Since then, as a precaution, I rough up the inside front of all my boxes, and have not seen trapped TRES chicks since. All any of us can do is report our personal experiences in hopes that others will avoid similar disasters. Dot Brenda Best wrote: There is no harm in roughing up the inside. But please consider this: Is there a chance the TRES chicks died for some reason a day or two before fledging , but you're attributing it to the inability to climb to the hole? I've found one or two dead chicks remaining after others have fledged in boxes made from rough-cut lumber. Those chicks died due to some other reason that we'll probably never know. Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 08:29:42 -0400 Hi Dot & All: Thanks for your report on fledglings unable to exit box. You are so right to rough up the front of the box below the entrance hole. Often, just after migration from Central & S. America adult Tree Swallows can be found dead in box. The legs of the Tree Swallow are not as strong as other songbirds and upon arriving from their migration they are exhausted & have difficulty exiting the box after resting. It is therefore important that the wood or plastic allows for easy foothold. Betty Nichols, Middletown, MD .. Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 09:07:00 -0400 Katherine, et al, Partly because ALL my 60 houses are 1 to 10 miles from my yard, I don't monitor any of them more often than every week or 10 days. I can't prove scientifically that this regimen is good for the birds or bad, but most of the nestings out there are successful, including the Tree Swallows'. I think I have about 23 Tree Swallow nestings in progress right now at my 30 'sites'. As you're probably all tired of hearing, all my houses are paired - 15' apart - and normally about 27 of the 30 'sites' have one Tree Swallow nesting. In 6 years of pairing I've never had BOTH houses taken by EITHER Tree Swallows or Bluebirds. A majority of my 'sites' have both species simultaneously. In no case have both houses remained empty. If you enjoy providing white stuff for the Tree Swallows, try a few shreds of dry kleenex. Mine seem to like it as much as feathers. But I must emphasize that I put it out simply to amuse myself. I doubt very much that the swallows "need" it. I hope I've helped with your questions, Katherine. A word of caution, - especially to newbies: Don't let yourself be put off by the small handful of Listers who tend to use pretty harsh words. At my age, I've learned to take their outbursts with a grain or two of salt. And I've also learned never to reply in kind. Bruce Burdett, SW NH Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 11:19:11 -0400 Kate, et al, I, too, have often picked up the female Tree Swallow from the nest, counted or inspected whatever was under her, checked her for bands, and replaced her gently. She usually settles right down and seems un-fazed by the experience. More important, I think, is that we do whatever we do deftly, quietly, gently, and quickly, and that we get the box closed up again in as few seconds as possible, especially when the weather is chilly and/or windy. In response to the lady who thinks the eggs are "cold," I agree with the person who suggested that perhaps she (the female, not the lady) had not finished laying the whole clutch, and had not started setting yet. Most females here lay 7 or 8 eggs before they're through, and they don't start setting until the last egg of the string is laid. I'll have to add that I have never been able to detect whether eggs are cold or not. Some of you must have more temperature-sensitive hands than I have. Maybe I just have too many calluses. I always make 6 or 8 saw kerfs inside under the hole, similar to the ones I cut on the outside on the entrance-block. These kerfs seem to provide sufficient claw-holds for everybody who might need them, inside or out. Almost all of my defunct Tree Swallows are in empty boxes, and I attribute these losses to the old Long-Exhausting-Trip-and-Stubby-Leg Theory. (LETSLT) Just possibly, Survival of the Fittest, plus Natural Selection, are both going on. In a honey-bee hive, many thousands of worker bees, every summer, die routinely of sheer exhaustion and raggedy wings. Bruce Burdett, SW NH Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 10:47:03 -0500 Bruce stated: Most females here lay 7 or 8 eggs before they're through, and they don't start setting until the last egg of the string is laid. The information from Cornell states "Incubation begins the day the penultimate, or next-to-last, egg is laid." Just a slight clarification---- Jay Gilliam Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 12:37:41 -0400 I was wondering about that, too. I have lots more tree swallows (TRES) here than bluebirds, and always count eggs before and after incubation starts. Most of my TRES over the years have laid 7 eggs, often six, and seldom 8. First-year females (not yet turquoise in color) tend to lay one less egg than the above. There was no way to tell when incubation began on my trail, but once I had boxes in my yard, I kept track of that (10 years now and 16 total nestings). I found that incubation was begun in 12 boxes after the last egg was laid. The other 4 began incubation began with the next-to-last egg. I have no idea what this means - just passing on my personal report. Perhaps it's weather-related, but unfortunately I didn't keep track of weather conditions. Dot (Lake Ontario snowbelt north of Syracuse NY) Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 20:16:38 -0400 Why are you giving the bird feathers? I have never heard of this until today. Thanks -Theresa"at"BowEcho.com Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 20:51:44 -0400 Hello Theresa, Kate and all. I usually collect the feathers that our Umbrella Cockatoo sheds and take them to the park. I throw them to the wind, and one or both TRES sweep down and catch them, often before they hit the ground... Even though there are geese and other feather sources in the park, the TRES like an easy feather if they can get it... They are fun to watch. Fawzi Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 21:37:53 -0400 Katherine... I am soo sorry. Is the TRES still laying or was she incubating?? If she was still laying you might be in luck and also check the nest again just to make sure she didn't find an egg somewhere in a corner that the wren moved to the side somehow and missed. The problem is that if she is still laying and lays more you are going to wind up with the same problem. If she lays another egg tomorrow I'd move that box a good 20ft every day until you can get her as far away from the wren nest as possible. I don't know if it is wise to move the wren box, perhaps others can give their thoughts on that - as that may be illegal! After this nesting of wrens, you'll need to rethink putting up boxes for your wrens. They are native, so are protected by law, but they sure can wreak havoc as you are finding out. I've lost nests to wrens before - and it is a matter of out smarting them by moving boxes far enough away from where they nest, etc. Keep us posted and know that many of us have "been there too"... :-) H Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 22:30:32 -0400 Haleya Priest wrote: Katherine... I am soo sorry. Thanks, Haleya, Dot and everyone else who has expressed sympathy and given useful information and advice on this situation. Is the TRES still laying or was she incubating?? If she was still laying you might be in luck and also check the nest again just to make sure she didn't find an egg somewhere in a corner that the wren moved to the side somehow and missed. She is laying. So, as others have pointed out, she may well have to continue. I hope she and her mate will be more vigilant now. The problem is that if she is still laying and lays more you are going to wind up with the same problem. If she lays another egg tomorrow I'd move that box a good 20ft every day until you can get her as far away from the wren nest as possible. Unfortunately, there is no place to move it.. the wren box is already way on the other side of the property - on the other side of the driveway, in fact. Anywhere I move it would be closer to the tree line, which is already too close for comfort. The only direction I could move it away from the trees would be right next to the chickadee box, and I'm not sure how either family would like that. Of course the 'dees should fledge in a few days, so maybe they don't care.. (But then that box will be empty, and the wrens may move into it, so that doesn't look like such a good idea either). I don't know if it is wise to move the wren box, perhaps others can give their thoughts on that - as that may be illegal! I wouldn't dream of moving the wren box - as I said, it's all the way across the property anyway, as far as it can be from the TRES box. After this nesting of wrens, you'll need to rethink putting up boxes for your wrens. They are native, so are protected by law, but they sure can wreak havoc as you are finding out. Yes, and in fact, the box the wrens are using is not a wren box. One reason I put up two more boxes this year was to give the wrens lots of choices, in the hope that they would leave the other birds alone. This was suggested by a discussion on "nestbox saturation" on BB-L last year. At present there are three vacant boxes - the HOWR would be welcome to any one of those. All the boxes except one are meant for bluebirds, except for the ones on the trees, which have in the past been successfully used by titmice (but are not being used this year). All in all, I have six boxes mounted, basically divided into three pairs: two on trees at the edge of the woods, two on the lawn (BCCH and TRES) and two on the other side of the yard, of which one (HOWR) is a Springer chalet and the other is a hanging wren/dee box. Last year, the dees used the hanging box and successfully repelled a HOWR who tried to take it over. This year they moved to the Gilbertson on the other side of the driveway. I've lost nests to wrens before - and it is a matter of out smarting them by moving boxes far enough away from where they nest, etc. That is possible if you have enough space. I really don't, which is why I was surprised to have the TRES here in the first place - I didn't think my yard was open enough. So, to sum up, the only way I can really avoid this is to not put up boxes at all. But then I would lose the dees and the titmice. Would the birds be safer in the woods, or in other natural cavities? The community garden not far from me (where both bluebirds and TRES have nested) is rife with HOSP. At least (so far, anyway) I don't have those. Keep us posted and know that many of us have "been there
too"... :-) Thanks again - we'll see what happens tomorrow. I wish I had time to be out there constantly - I'd guard the nest for them willingly. -- Katherine Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 23:41:04 EDT My renegade TREe Swallow who confiscated the Chickadee nest is still happily incubating on moss! ... Rhonda Watts Tree swallows on the bluebird trail (Part 4) |
BEST OF BLUEBIRD_L CLASSIFIEDS HOME | Audubon Society of Omaha | The Bluebird Box | Bluebird FAQs | Search | Contact meAll material was originally posted on the Bluebird_L or Bluebird mailing list, and has been reposted here with slight modifications to make the posts more readable in an HTML format. In cases in which quoted material has been deleted to save space, this is indicated by an ellipsis (...)For more information about Bluebird_L, check out http://www.cit.corn.edu/cit-pubs/email/using-lists/index.htm. If you wish to contact the author of a post, you will need to edit the e-mail address, replacing "at" with the "at" symbol (above the number 2 on your keyboard). (This change was made to discourage spammers.)If you are the author of a posting and would like to see a particular post (or posts) removed from these web pages, please contact me with the web page address, title of post, and date and time of the post(s), and I will remove whatever material you like. If you have a different opinion from one posted here, you need not contact me, as often I will have a different opinion too. The intent is to try and provide both sides to the issues facing bluebirders, and to do so in an impartial and objective manner.If you have problems, encounter broken links (unless they are within an e-mail thread, as I do not maintain those links), or have suggestions on how the site can be improved to make it more useful, please contact the Best of Bluebird-L Classifieds webmaster.Website design by
Chimalis
|
