Tree Swallows

[Mstan]

I am dealing with more than usual numbers of tree swallows. I have 36 gourds with 18 open. Currently I’m seeing 6 martins active in gourds. The tree swallows a relentless. Any help much appreciated. Thank you.

[Jones4381]

For comparative analysis I have 66 gourds 4 racks and as many TS I've ever seen this year, so many in fact the BB/TS battles are being slanted heavily in the favor of TS winning most of these fights...I put up 6 TS gourds on single poles and 4 BB housing in wood. The TS has claimed 8 and BB's are down to 2 pair...I need to put out some more TS housing perhaps...I haven't had any takers into the PM racks to this point.

How many TS housing options do you currently offer? I have two within 30 feet of my poles and the others scattered in my fields. Good luck.

[randyM]

MStan,

If you have a well-established colony with 6 martins already occupying gourds (especially if some of the martins are ASY birds returning from last year) you shouldn't have too much to worry about regarding the success of your martin colony this year. If you have room on your property, and haven't already done so, place 2-3 gourds six feet above the ground on shepard's hooks about 30-60' from your martin housing in three different directions. The swallows should gravitate to those housing options and reduce the occurrence of major confrontations with your martins. If your martin racks are close together (within 30' or so of each other) at most you'd have one swallow pair nesting in your gourd racks amongst the nesting martins. Tree swallows are more territorial towards other nesting tree swallows than they are towards martins or bluebirds and would not allow another tree swallow to nest in very close proximity. I've had years where tree swallows nested within 18" of an active martin nest and both fledged young. I have over 100 nesting tree swallow pairs on my property each year and once egg laying begins, everyone seems to settle down and get along just fine. I have 5 tree swallow houses scattered among the bases of my gourd racks and martin house poles that are 100% occupied by swallows each year and both species get along for the most part. Each of these tree swallow houses are at least 40' apart.

Randy

[randyM]

Jones,

How close are your bluebird/tree swallow houses from each other? If you have both swallows and bluebirds nesting on your property, you could "pair" bluebird houses/tree swallow gourds within 10' of each other, with the openings being orientated in opposite directions (180 degrees). Nesting tree swallows are very territorial towards other tree swallows and will not tolerate another tree swallow nesting that close, but will tolerate a pair of bluebirds nesting that close. If all of your swallow/bluebird housing is 30+ feet apart and you have more tree swallow pairs than available housing, it is likely the swallows will chase off the bluebirds and claim most of the nesting cavities. If a pair of swallows already has claimed one of your "paired" housing arrangements, they may allow a pair of bluebirds to nest in the other house of the "paired" housing, but would not allow another tree swallow pair to nest there.

Good luck.

Randy

[Mstan]

Thank you for your reply’s,they are much appreciated. I purchased two more bluebird boxes and now have 5 boexes and one gourd on a pole to hopefully accommodate the bluebirds and tree swallows. My boxes are spaced approximately 30 ft of one another. It looks like I have added another pair of martins. I believe I will open up the rest of my gourds and leave 6 chirpy nest for the SY coming later. Thank you once again.

[flyin-lowe]

Now that you have an established colony the TS and BB's might be a nuisance but they won't chase off your martins. It won't hurt to put up some single gourds or houses around your property for them but you don't have to follow the exact protocal like you would if you were starting a new colony. Just keep opening your martin housing slowly. I usually have TS back by the end of February and they are close to nesting when the martins arive. This year I had the first TS arrive two days again and expect some ASY's any day now. We have very heavy TS populations where I live and years ago I had documented on here I had 2 pair of TS nesting in the same gourd rack along side martins. They all got along and it was when my colony was smaller and I only had about 50% occupancy. Now I usually only have a couple cavities each year that are used by the PM's and the TS never really go near them.

[Jones4381]

Jones,

How close are your bluebird/tree swallow houses from each other? If you have both swallows and bluebirds nesting on your property, you could "pair" bluebird houses/tree swallow gourds within 10' of each other, with the openings being orientated in opposite directions (180 degrees). Nesting tree swallows are very territorial towards other tree swallows and will not tolerate another tree swallow nesting that close, but will tolerate a pair of bluebirds nesting that close. If all of your swallow/bluebird housing is 30+ feet apart and you have more tree swallow pairs than available housing, it is likely the swallows will chase off the bluebirds and claim most of the nesting cavities. If a pair of swallows already has claimed one of your "paired" housing arrangements, they may allow a pair of bluebirds to nest in the other house of the "paired" housing, but would not allow another tree swallow pair to nest there.

Good luck.

Randy

Randy,
They are a good 75Ft apart in an X pattern for the gourds with I then have 3 boxes for the BB's but as you mentioned the TS seem to be winning. I'll take on this new concept for me and put the housing closer to the TS gourds to offer a solution next season...ty sir.

[jasalva]

I had a Tree Swallows problem years ago when I was starting a PM colony. At that time, I learned to prevent the problem from the start. Many on the forum helped me .TS are relentless (so are Bluebirds) when they decide on a place to nest on a PM rack. Here is what I learned to do. I keep gourds closed until the Martins arrive. I put several boxes for BB and TS around the yard and try to attract them to the boxes before the TS notice the gourds.
I first learned about Martins and TS vying for the same nesting area when I began attracting Martins. I had a TS couple that would not give up their gourd on a PM rack, they defended the entire rack. They took over the rake before the PM arrived. I lowed the rack to discourage them. They still claimed the closed gourd. I then covered the entire unit of gourds with a huge painters cloth until I could get them to relocate. I took the gourd that the TS chose and placed it on the nearby staff. The TS finally did take to the gourd, that I relocated, and I never had the problem again. Prevention is the answer. Attack the problem before it starts. Don’t let Bluebirds or TS take the intended PM gourds because they are formidable opponents to the PM and to us. Encourage them to accept boxes while keeping your intended PM unites closed and lowered until the PM arrive.

Other bird problem suggestions: I had a neighbor that insisted on placing her Bird boxes on her patio. The bluebirds took possession of a box and actually had an active nest. The TS came and they started to chase the BB away. The TS would not let the BB attend to their chicks because they would fight them off. I had the neighbor turn the entrance of the TS box around, so the TS entrance was not facing the BB box. It worked, both birds accepted the proximity of the boxes!

It is possible to come to the aid of birds. While on the patio of the same neighbor, I noticed Chicadee parents trying to protect their new chicks from a House Sparrow determined to take their box. The HS would have killed the chicks. I had to try something. I gently removed the nest of chicks, trying to keep the nest in-tact, and placed it in a covered shoe box, which I took to the patio. The HS entered the now empty bird box. I had placed a flat trap in the box after removing the chicks and caught the invading HS. When I carefully returned the nested chicks, the parents returned and tended their young and they eventually successfully fledged.

[SE Wisc hopefull]

Just an anecdotal experience, but last year I had a couple of TS that arrived a couple week earlier than the PMs. They took a shine to one of the PM house gourds and I started to deter them and clean out their nests. I happened to be on a long business trip around that time and when I returned I found two TS eggs in the gourd so I had to let them have that gourd.

When the PMs arrives a male PM would sit on their gourd porch all day and they went crazy at him, but he sat there totally undeterred. A week later they gave up, and when I did a nest check the TS eggs were also gone. He must have cleared them out and then raised his young in that gourd. Wild

[Mstan]

I have been watching in the evening as the Martins come into their gourds seeing which house the tree swallows enters. He has preferred the chirpy nest. I mark the box he enters and the next day remove any nesting material and shut up the box. This has worked well as an influx of Martins come I open the box and the Martins take it forcing the TS to one of six boxes provided.

[Mstan]

This morning I observed two martins perched on the gourd that I had put on a 6” pole for tree swallows. A pair of tree swallows had built a nest lined with feathers and had been in the gourd several weeks. I removed the horizontal gourd and made room on my Troyer circular rack. I place a bluebird box back on the pole and scattered the feathers on the ground for the tree swallows. I would assume all my gourds on the Troyer racks are full. This is the fullest my colony has been in the three years as a landlord. I thank the Lord for this blessing.