Tree Swallows?

mrigney · Sat Mar 05, 2022 9:15 am

Hey, new to the forums. I posted last week about the gourd system I just put up hoping to attract martins. My wife has been playing Martin songs in the mornings and low and behold we've had a young adult male (not sure all the abbreviations) show up a couple of times. Good news!

Question. We also have quite a few bluebirds around. We have 3 boxes up for them and they're not nesting in the gourds, but they do sit on the perch some. Is this a problem? Also, this morning I saw what I think was a tree swallow perched above the gourds. Same question...is that a problem? What should we do?

Thanks!

jhcox · Sat Mar 05, 2022 10:17 am

Hey welcome to the forum and to purple Martins. The bluebirds are usually not a problem. Tree swallows on the other hand will use the gourds. I would not allow them to build nest in your gourds they are very territorial. They could potentially run your martins off being aggressive. You could always plug the holes to keep the tree swallow out until you get martins. Offer the tree swallow a Gourd maybe on the shepherds pole 20 or 30 feet away from your gourd rack and let them take up residence there. Good luck

Dave Reynolds · Sat Mar 05, 2022 7:36 pm

...mrigney. ... The Tree Swallows and Bluebirds kept me from hosting Purple Martins.. I did everything I could for years, but every year it was the same old thing. They would sit on the houses or my gourds on the rack and chase the investigating Martins away. Year after year.. So I finely read Dan Drew’s Tree Swallow and Bluebird Emergency protocol.. You can google it and read it... It worked for me and now I have hosted Martins for three years now... Good Luck

Dave

Jones4381 · Sat Mar 05, 2022 8:47 pm

Dave Reynolds wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 05, 2022 7:36 pm
...mrigney. ... The Tree Swallows and Bluebirds kept me from hosting Purple Martins.. I did everything I could for years, but every year it was the same old thing. They would sit on the houses or my gourds on the rack and chase the investigating Martins away. Year after year.. So I finely read Dan Drew’s Tree Swallow and Bluebird Emergency protocol.. You can google it and read it... It worked for me and now I have hosted Martins for three years now... Good Luck

Dave

Best advise I've ever seen in here...same for me year 1 Dave. I read this, adjusted; Boom! TS and BB problem not only resolved but I was able to have them nesting where I choose them to be...I'd encourage you to google it, read it, and put it into practice...Kept me in this nice place as its proven and it works.

My first year I allowed a BB pair in one house (200 feet away from other house) and a TS in the other SK barn...no PM's will always be the result for new colony hopefuls (as it was for me... but raised a great brood of TS and BB's that year

) if they don't control and coexist the natives in this manner ( and obviously eliminate house sparrows and Starlings)...then you're in a really cool place you'll revel in for years.