Populations of avian aerial insectivores (e.g., swallows, swifts, nightjars) have been declining for decades and conservation actions must be put into place to help halt and reverse this alarming trend. Bank Swallows have faced one of the fastest population declines for a species in Canada with an estimated 98% population loss in Canada over a recent forty-year period. Reasons for the massive decline are cumulative and include the loss of breeding, foraging and winter habitat, collision with vehicles, widespread pesticide use, population decline of insects, climate change and destruction of nest sites. With only 2% of their population remaining in Canada, Bank Swallows require urgent conservation action! They have very specific habitat requirements that we need to pay special attention to, especially sites with ideal breeding habitat, i.e. specific substrate (silty-fine sand), vertical banks, low-elevation (less than 900m) and near water. Bank Swallows dig burrows in vertical banks with the right type of conditions as mentioned.
In the Columbia Valley, ideal breeding conditions for Bank Swallows are found between Canal Flats and Edgewater. “We have discovered 126 Bank Swallow colonies through the Upper Columbia Swallow Habitat Enhancement Project [UCSHEP} and these critical breeding areas should be conserved, restored or enhanced where possible, especially given recent and significant population decline,” states project biologist Rachel Darvill. “There are considerable gaps in the amount of available breeding habitat north of Edgewater, with only scattered colonies located between Edgewater and Donald. We have been working to expand the amount of available breeding areas for this species at risk,” says Rachel.
The Upper Columbia Swallow Habitat Enhancement Project (UCSHEP) just completed two enhancement projects for Bank Swallows in the Golden area. One was in the Donald area at Moberly Marsh on private land owned by Ducks Unlimited Canada. There, a large artificial structure was constructed this past October and November. The structure is a combination of a concrete slab wall with perforated holes and suitable breeding substrate on each side of the wall. Structures like these have been successful at attracting breeding Bank Swallows in Quebec, but this is the first of its kind in Western Canada.
Additionally, the UCSHEP recently finished reshaping sandpiles at Washout Creek (or Birchlands Creek) located just south of Golden, which were left behind from CPKC’s protection of their bridge infrastructure. These sandpiles contain the perfect type of nesting substrate for Bank Swallows, and by making them more vertical, we were able to create ideal conditions for the swallows to nest.
Barn Swallows are also at risk, as their Canadian population has also severely declined in a recent 40 year period. Between 2021-2024, the UCSHEP implemented enhancement projects at 34 locations in the region between Canal Flats and Donald for both Bank and Barn Swallows. Effectiveness monitoring at all 34 enhancement sites is critical to determine how well these actions, including the two described above, are working for swallow conservation.
The UCSHEP is administered by Wildsight Golden and was developed and managed by RPBio, Rachel Darvill of Goldeneye Ecological Services. This project would not be possible without the financial support of the CBT Ecosystem Enhancement Program, Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program, and the provincial Gaming Grant. Ducks Unlimited also contributed financially to the enhancement structure on their lands at Moberly Marsh.