[NatureNS] Port Williams Tree Swallow Nest Boxes Update

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From: George Forsyth <ge4syth@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Mar 2019 20:41:25 -0300
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Indeed, the New Minas sewage treatment facility has again been placed under
lock and key to watchers of nature. I was unvisitable for many years and
recently the staff has welcomed visitors to enjoy the bird life. But they
have since been told by a new manager that they were not to allow visitors.
This is a facility in need of nest boxes, it is easily eight times larger
than the Port Williams facility, and there is one tree swallow box that
some school students put up years ago, but it needs to be maintained.

Waiting for the arrival of the swallows,

George Forsyth

On Sat, 16 Mar 2019 at 07:01, nancy dowd <nancypdowd@gmail.com> wrote:

> Aside from the sewage pond nesting potential, I am always impressed by the
> huge numbers that collect at these locations in Spring and especially
> before leaving in fall. Many eBird reports of hundreds of Swallows of all
> sorts taking advantage of the insect bounty. Valuable man-made habitats
> that should always have safe (both for the birds and the humans) viewing
> areas built in.
>
> Nancy D
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On Mar 15, 2019, at 4:07 PM, George Forsyth <ge4syth@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Hi All,
>
> I just came in from cleaning the Tree Swallow nest boxes that I have
> erected at the Port Williams, Kings Co sewer treatment ponds. The boxes are
> either attached to the power poles going out to the ponds, or on fence
> posts around the pond. There are sixteen boxes in total. The ponds are
> about 2.3 hectares (5.7 acres), and the distance from the first box to the
> farthest box is 200 meters. So it is only a small area, but very productive!
>
> Nine of the boxes had complete nests, with feathers, and appeared to have
> partly decomposed feces. So a little over fifty percent successful.
> There was one nest with four unhatched eggs, two nests with grass but no
> feathers, one box with feathers but no grass. One box had a nest with one
> dead adult bird and at least one juvenile bird, both badly decomposed. One
> box was successful but not for Tree Swallows, it had a wasp comb on the
> underside of the roof, and some wasps that were crawling around inside the
> box, I left all of this in the box.
>
> The nine used boxes could have produced up to thirty six fledglings!
>
> See my eBird checklist from 25 May 2018. for some photos, one of a male
> Tree Swallow with a leg band. I would be interesting to know where it was
> banded.
> https://ebird.org/canada/view/checklist/S46017417
>
> Waiting for the return of the Tree Swallows to Port Williams. 2018 I saw
> some on 22 April, 2017 on the 11 of April! so not really that long of a
> wait.
>
> Cheers, George Forsyth
>
>

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<div dir=3D"ltr"><div><div>Indeed, the New Minas sewage treatment facility =
has again been placed under lock and key to watchers of nature. I was unvis=
itable for many years and recently the staff has welcomed visitors to enjoy=
 the bird life. But they have since been told by a new manager that they we=
re not to allow visitors. This is a facility in need of nest boxes, it is e=
asily eight times larger than the Port Williams facility, and there is one =
tree swallow box that some school students put up years ago, but it needs t=
o be maintained.<br><br></div>Waiting for the arrival of the swallows,<br><=
br></div>George Forsyth<br></div><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote"><div class=
=3D"gmail_attr" dir=3D"ltr">On Sat, 16 Mar 2019 at 07:01, nancy dowd &lt;<a=
 href=3D"mailto:nancypdowd@gmail.com">nancypdowd@gmail.com</a>&gt; wrote:<b=
r></div><blockquote style=3D"margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid=
 rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class=3D"gmail_quote"><div dir=3D"auto"=
>Aside from the sewage pond nesting potential, I am always impressed by the=
 huge numbers that collect at these locations in Spring and especially befo=
re leaving in fall. Many eBird reports of hundreds of Swallows of all sorts=
 taking advantage of the insect bounty. Valuable man-made habitats that sho=
uld always have safe (both for the birds and the humans) viewing areas buil=
t in.=C2=A0<div><br></div><div>Nancy D<br><br><div dir=3D"ltr" id=3D"gmail-=
m_-3608301805088818618AppleMailSignature">Sent from my iPad</div><div dir=
=3D"ltr"><br>On Mar 15, 2019, at 4:07 PM, George Forsyth &lt;<a target=3D"_=
blank" href=3D"mailto:ge4syth@gmail.com">ge4syth@gmail.com</a>&gt; wrote:<b=
r><br></div><blockquote type=3D"cite"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div dir=3D"ltr"><di=
v dir=3D"ltr"><div><div><div><div><div><div>Hi All,<br><br></div>I just cam=
e in from cleaning the Tree Swallow nest boxes that I have erected at the P=
ort Williams, Kings Co sewer treatment ponds. The boxes are either attached=
 to the power poles going out to the ponds, or on fence posts around the po=
nd. There are sixteen boxes in total. The ponds are about 2.3 hectares (5.7=
 acres), and the distance from the first box to the farthest box is 200 met=
ers. So it is only a small area, but very productive!<br><br></div>Nine of =
the boxes had complete nests, with feathers, and appeared to have partly de=
composed feces. So a little over fifty percent successful. <br>There was on=
e nest with four unhatched eggs, two nests with grass but no feathers, one =
box with feathers but no grass. One box had a nest with one dead adult bird=
 and at least one juvenile bird, both badly decomposed. One box was success=
ful but not for Tree Swallows, it had a wasp comb on the underside of the r=
oof, and some wasps that were crawling around inside the box, I left all of=
 this in the box.<br><br></div>The nine used boxes could have produced up t=
o thirty six fledglings!<br><br></div>See my eBird checklist from 25 May 20=
18. for some photos, one of a male Tree Swallow with a leg band. I would be=
 interesting to know where it was banded.<br><a target=3D"_blank" href=3D"h=
ttps://ebird.org/canada/view/checklist/S46017417">https://ebird.org/canada/=
view/checklist/S46017417</a><br><br></div>Waiting for the return of the Tre=
e Swallows to Port Williams. 2018 I saw some on 22 April, 2017 on the 11 of=
 April! so not really that long of a wait.<br><br></div>Cheers, George Fors=
yth<br><div><div><div><div><br></div></div></div></div></div></div>
</div></blockquote></div></div></blockquote></div>

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