photo by Len Nelson

MONITORING THE SWALLOW NESTS AT SHOLLENBERGER/ALMAN MARSH

The swallows nesting in boxes at Shollenberger/Alman Marsh are Tree Swallows, Tachycineta bicolor.

On 5 April, PWA Docent Len Nelson began monitoring the 20 swallow boxes in a joint study, called Golondrinas de las Americas, with naturalists ranging from Alaska to Argentina. PWA’s goals are manifold:

Determine the usefulness of our nest boxes
Learn about the natural history and nesting results
Teach others about the importance of our nest boxes
Ensure nest boxes are not used by nonnative birds
Contribute to the Golondrinas study
Share data with PRBO Conservation Science and other interested parties

Len opens carefully the side of the box to examine the contents. If done quickly, this action doesn’t bother the swallows (Tree Swallows are rather tolerant of the intrusion) and can be continued until it is close to fledging time. Len studies the height of the nests; the materials which are used in nest construction, including the number of feathers; and the shape of the cup within the nest.

Checking every two-three days, Len logs the number of eggs, hatchlings, and fledging dates. As fledging approaches, he will no longer open the boxes but use a dental mirror at the entry hole to look into the box and examine the nest’s contents. Most activity should be done by early June.

 
       All photos taken at Shollenberger Park