Tree Swallow house placement
How far from a bluebird box should a tree swallow box be placed? Tree swallows are in our area as are bluebirds. Are there any ways to help attract the tree swallows to a certain box? It will be a peterson style box that they did nest in two years ago. The following year they did not nest here. We want them back again.
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flyin-lowe
- Posts: 3789
- Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 8:49 am
- Location: Indiana/Henry Co.
You can put a TS house up ten to 15 feet away from BB box and they will get along fine.
I saw an article once that showed a oval shape cut out of a white cottage cheese lid. This was hanging from the house somehow (its been a while since I saw it). Anyway it spun and moved with the breeze, I think this simulated the white breast of the TS and caught there attention.
If the populations are anything like they are in Indiana you won't have any problem attracting them.
I saw an article once that showed a oval shape cut out of a white cottage cheese lid. This was hanging from the house somehow (its been a while since I saw it). Anyway it spun and moved with the breeze, I think this simulated the white breast of the TS and caught there attention.
If the populations are anything like they are in Indiana you won't have any problem attracting them.
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Guest
Check out this site:
http://www.treeswallowprojects.com/tresvsbb.html
They recommend coupling the boxes. I am trying this for the first time this year and of the 6 pairs I have up, 2 are occupied by both TS and BB. I am waiting to see how it turns out as the BB nests each have 5 eggs and the TS have just completed their nests.
http://www.treeswallowprojects.com/tresvsbb.html
They recommend coupling the boxes. I am trying this for the first time this year and of the 6 pairs I have up, 2 are occupied by both TS and BB. I am waiting to see how it turns out as the BB nests each have 5 eggs and the TS have just completed their nests.
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birdy girl
- Posts: 1179
- Joined: Wed Apr 19, 2006 9:09 am
- Location: Mississippi/Dumas
My hubby posted the first post. He is out so I will post now. Thanks for the information and wedsite. I read somewhere the entrance hole should face the east. Does it matter which way the entrance faces? Is this how yours is facing? Do you have a box specially made for tree swallows (correct size) or do you just use a BB house? Two years ago the one pair we had nested in a BB Peterson house. But they never came back to it after that. The babies fledged and all went well. The webside showed what looked like a Peterson house and said it was to small. THey nested in a 4" vent pipe at our church (accross the road) last year. We closed up the hole with wire so they cannot enter. They are still in the area. We see them fly across our martin colony every day several times but are not nesting in any of our untaken BB houses.
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LarryMelcher/KY
- Posts: 675
- Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2005 12:08 pm
- Location: Kentucky/Shepherdsville
I have been successfull attracting Tree Swallows to gourds that are too small for martin gourds, and an 1-1/4 inch round entrance hole. Bluebirds prefer a larger entrance, 1-1/2".
I have a Tree Swallow project at Bernheim Forest and we put up white boxes meant to attract Tree Swallows. We goofed and put 1-1/2" round entrance holes instead of 1-1/4", and have 3 TS nests and 2 BB nests in the 5 houses. They are grouped together in an area, and are only about 40 feet apart from one another.
I have a Tree Swallow project at Bernheim Forest and we put up white boxes meant to attract Tree Swallows. We goofed and put 1-1/2" round entrance holes instead of 1-1/4", and have 3 TS nests and 2 BB nests in the 5 houses. They are grouped together in an area, and are only about 40 feet apart from one another.
I manage 2 public sites, and one at home, for a total of 172 cavities. Board Member / Non Profit PMCA.
Find videos that I edit for the PMCA Youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/PurpleMartinPMCA
Find videos that I edit for the PMCA Youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/PurpleMartinPMCA
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Guest
The TS have been plentiful where I live. They have been living in BB boxes in the past. The floor of those boxes was 4.5"x4.5". I've now read (on the TS website listed above) that TS should have 5.5"x5.5" floors. Therefore, I designed and built my own boxes for the TS with the proper sized floor. I have never really paid any attention to which direction they face so I checked - I have nesting TS in 4 of 6 boxes that face south, 3 of 3 that face north and 2 of 3 that face to the east.