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Place a 1/4 in. hole in the back near
the top, for hanging the nest box on a
nail. The box can also be placed on a 4
inch diameter post, ten or more feet tall,
attached to the bottom of the box and. A
12 inch metal sleeve should cover the post
just below the nest box top to discourage
predators. A gabled roof may be
substituted for the shed roof, if so, make
the measurement 9 inches to the top of the
gable, and 1 1/2 in. overhang on all
sides.
A
bit about swallows, where to put the
house, and how best to attract
them:
1.
Preferred nest sites have east, west or
south exposures.
2.
Violet Green and Tree Swallows do not like
close neighbors. Place nest boxes at least
forty feet apart with holes facing away
from each other. These are not "Martins"
which like apartment houses. Houses with
more than one entrance cause territorial
fighting and can result in the death of
babies and deserted eggs.
3.
These Swallows like semi-open country; the
natural nest sites are for Tree Swallows
are abandoned woodpecker holes. Violet
Green Swallows will utilize abandoned
Woodpecker holes too , however they will
nest in natural cavities in cliffs, even
on high mountains.
4.
Place nest boxes well out of the reach of
cats and squirrels. Never place nest boxes
on spruce trees or squirrels will fill
them full of cones etc. Swallows will not
clean out a box.
5.
Swallows prefer nest sites with overhead
protection such as the eaves of your home
or an overhang on the front of the nest
box (see illustration).
6.
No perch at the hole is necessary, and a
typical peg perch is unacceptable because
it damages tail feathers. Use a cross limb
for a perch if you wish to see the male
sitting out.
7.
If you wish to make your own design for
nest boxes, make sure they resemble the
abandoned holes and cavities made by
woodpeckers. Don't make the inside
dimensions too large, bigger isn't better.
The specifications listed with the
illustrations have worked for hundreds of
years for all, small hole-nesting birds.
Common sense dictates how it should be
built.
8.
Never place entrance holes anywhere except
high on the box. Low holes cause the young
to crowd the entrance where some are
invariably pushed out where they perish.
The parents will not feed grounded young.
Even though wild swallows are occasionally
forced to nest in odd places such as
pipes, their rearing success is very poor.
Give them the best you can. Additionally,
wire mesh inside of the box for the young
to climb to the entrance hole causes
crowding and the loss of young. Young
swallows never have trouble reaching the
hole even with smooth interior wood and a
box fifteen inches deep.
9.
Do not drill air holes in the bottom of
the nest box, this encourages ants to
invade the nesting material and attack the
young. It is wise to place one tablespoon
full of Buhach (a commercial pyrethrin
which is an insecticide that is non toxic
to warm blooded animals) in the bottom of
each box, it has been used in aviaries for
many year. I keeps all lice, ants, fleas,
flies etc. out.
10.
Clean out old nest material every late
fall or very early spring.
11.
Don't build little porches or other cute
things that will only catch
droppings.
12.
Cliff Swallows build mud nests under eaves
where good clay mud is available all
summer long. They need to make constant
repairs. They nest in colonies
Bank Swallows dig holes in sand banks
and will nest wherever good sand banks
exist. Their populations are dictated by
proper hard packed, steep, fine sand
banks. Their colonies can consist of
thousands of individual birds.
Don't
EVER open the box to see the young if you
want them to grow
normally!
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