Join the Tree Swallow Nest Box Project!
Are you ready to make a difference for the environment this year? Golden’s Tree Swallow Nest Box Project is your chance to help these incredible aerial insectivores while tackling pesky mosquitoes in your Golden community! Tree swallows are beautiful and amazing birds that swoop through the air, snatching up insects as they fly. But they need your help—by monitoring specially placed nest boxes, we can give them a safe place to raise their young, while also keeping mosquito numbers in check!
Volunteers will be asked to monitor nest boxes throughout the spring and summer (April to July), regularly checking on the swallows as they build their nests, lay eggs, and raise their chicks. Not only will you be playing a crucial role in the conservation of these birds, but you’ll also be contributing to the reduction of the mosquito population using one of nature’s creatures in the process!
Are you ready to be part of this exciting, bird-friendly mission? Sign up today and let’s give these swallows a place to thrive! Contact swallows@wildsight.ca to learn more.
Tree Swallows – their conservation status
Tree Swallows are not facing alarming population trends like close relatives the Bank and Barn Swallows, but BC Breeding Bird Surveys have shown that Tree Swallows are experiencing a gradual decline, similar to many other aerial insectivores. This Survey noted that the decline is particularly noticeable in British Columbia, where it is somewhat more pronounced than across the rest of Canada. Several factors are likely contributing to this trend, including declines in insect populations due to pesticide use, wetland loss or pollution, and the reduction of nesting sites due to fewer old trees caused by clear-cut logging and fire suppression. Additionally, introduced species like the European Starling may compete for nesting spaces, although their impact on native cavity-nesting birds like the Tree Swallow is less significant where natural cavities are still plentiful. In areas where natural cavities are scarce, installing appropriately sized and spaced nest boxes can help provide vital nesting sites for these swallows.
Recent and alarming reports on the significant population decreases noted for many bird species in North America, especially for aerial insectivores (birds that feed on insects in the air). It is well-known that there is also a global decline in insect populations. Insect population declines are linked to an increase in pesticide use on agricultural crops, change in weather patterns, habitat destruction and degradation, amongst other factors.
If you are interested in signing up or in learning more about this nesting box project, please contact us at swallows@wildsight.ca.
Wildsight Golden would like to thank the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) for their financial support towards this initiative.
