The Leader Newspapers, NJ
by john on Wednesday, J
By Susan C. Moeller- Senior Reporter
Mosquitoes beware. The tree swallow population is growing in the Meadowlands, and the little birds consume copious amounts of insects.
Naturalists at the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission recently announced that they have documented an increased number of breeding tree swallows in the local area. This year alone, 610 eggs were counted and 485 babies matured and flew from their nests.
Why are tree swallows choosing marshes near the bustling New Jersey Turnpike to raise their young?
Mike Newhouse, a wetlands specialist with the commission, credits the installation of nesting boxes, many of which were built by volunteers from the community.
Tree swallows are “cavity-nesting birds,” and they typically nest where woodpeckers have made holes in dead trees, Newhouse explained. Thus, suburban environments, with little open space and an aversion to dead trees, aren’t conducive to tree swallow nesting.
The commission’s nesting box program has given the swallows an alternative for nest building that’s not dependent on woodpeckers or hollow trees.
Roughly 250 of the boxes have been installed in the district, according to a statement released by the Meadowlands Commission. And 60 percent of the boxes were used this year — an occupancy rate higher than expected, Newhouse said.
“We knew tree swallows were nesting in these boxes, but until now we had no idea just how effective the boxes are,” stated Robert Ceberio, executive director of the commission.
Gabby Bennett-Meany, a program specialist at the NJMC, helps volunteers with nesting box projects, providing plans and details about material. Local boy scouts, high school biology students and a group of people with disabilities have all joined the effort, which the NJMC hopes to expand to 300-350 boxes in 2008.
In addition to nonprofit volunteers, Panasonic, with its North American headquarters in Secaucus, has made nesting box construction one of its eco-initiatives for October, explained David Thompson, director of the Corporate Environmental Affairs Department for the entertainment giant.
The company is trying to raise the environmental consciousness of its employees, encouraging them to volunteer in an ecologically responsible activity each month. Panasonic even provides its employees with the time off from work for such projects.
With the Hackensack River across the street from Panasonic’s offices, the nesting box project was a natural opportunity, Thompson added.
Birders get ready
The swallows, with their iridescent blue feathers, are easier to watch than some of their winged cousins. “We just love this dynamite little bird,” Bennett-Meany said.
But, Newhouse’s affinity for the birds isn’t based on their beauty or their temperament. It’s the mosquito and insect control that piques his interest.
Newhouse likened the tree swallows to the notorious nocturnal insectivores, bats. But, he noted, the tree swallows “are the daytime crew.”
July 31st, 2008
LubbockOnline.com, TX
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
Over the past few weeks, the South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center has received numerous calls about barn swallows - and their nests, in particular.
Some area residents are upset about the mess below the swallows’ mud nests on porches and windows the birds leave, and some even want someone dispatched from the wildlife center to remove the swallows’ homes.
Not only does our staff not do that, it’s against the law to remove or destroy active nests of migratory songbirds because of stipulations in the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act that was promulgated in 1916 and made into law in 1918.
A beautiful bird, the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) is a Neotropical migrant and calls the Texas South Plains home for a few months during spring and summer. They nest throughout the Northern Hemisphere and winter in Mexico and South America. Amazingly, a round trip migration may cover 14,000 miles.
About six inches long, the barn swallow has a tiny bill, bluish-black iridescent back and wings, a brown throat, tan breast and belly. It’s distinguished from other American swallows by its deeply forked tail.
Barn swallows build their mud nests in barns, abandoned buildings, cliff ledges or under bridges, and there’s usually water nearby. In urban areas they may choose real estate under a building ledge, arch of a house or under a covered patio where it is protected from rain. One requirement for a nest site is that they have unobstructed, easy access. Unlike their very social cousin the cliff swallow, barn swallow nests are generally isolated from each other.
Droppings underneath can be easily hosed away and some people use newspapers to catch some of the waste under active nests. By the time the swallows are two weeks old, the youngsters back up and defecate over the nest’s edge. The barn swallow’s nesting period is a short, 16-23 days, and the incubation period is about 15 days.
Very beneficial birds, they consume large quantities of insects, most while flying. They often follow tractors snapping up insects that are stirred up. When they’re raising a family, the parents are almost constantly on the wing, catching bugs to feed their ever-hungry offspring.
If swallows are flying and hunting near your home, your chances of attracting them are fair. They prefer unpainted rough-cut wood because the mud they use to construct their nests doesn’t adhere well to smooth surfaces. There’s usually little headspace above the nest.
Masters of aerial maneuvering, adults must catch insects every few minutes from dawn to dusk when they have four or five hungry offspring. Youngsters fledge when they’re about three weeks old. Barn swallows have two broods, and juveniles from the first brood will help feed the second. Nests will usually be occupied again in subsequent years if left alone.
One of my most memorable releases involved a barn swallow in spring 2005, and I’ll never forget the experience. Heading east on 82nd Street from Indiana Avenue around 5 p.m., I saw a tiny black shape on the opposite side of the road. I thought it was a dead bird, and the wing feathers were flapping because cars were zooming over it. Something told me not to ignore it, so I turned around, parked just off the street and ran out when there was a break in traffic. I snatched up the little body, buckled up and headed the final few minutes to home.
Suddenly I felt two tiny feet wrap around my little finger, and I was stunned that this half-ounce bird could be alive. Just as amazing, it had no injuries. After some quick supportive care for shock and two hours of watchful TLC, the bird’s eyes opened and it sat on a perch. Rather than prolong the stress of captivity, I decided to release it just before dusk when this species is most active, and out hawking insects.
Suddenly, as I took the bird into the backyard, holding it briefly so it could get oriented, its eyes opened wide, and the unspoken message clearly was, “Let me go … I’m all right, and I can fly.” With that, I slowly opened my hand, and, as if sprinting at the sound of a gunshot, the swallow dug into my palm with its feet and took wing, soaring over the roof and high into the air, aloft within moments. It was so gratifying to watch.
This was a very special rescue that told me I was definitely at the right place earlier, and at the right time. I suspect the swallow swooped down to the street to snag a bug, became grounded as air flow and cars sped over it, and had no choice but to lie there and wait for fate to take its course.
Do wildlife a favor and practice some short-lived tolerance. The mess of nesting barn swallows is temporary, and instead of focusing on the negative, you or your children can watch the family grow, develop and take off again for warmer climes come fall.
Next spring, if you decide not to invite barn swallows, remove bits of their nest every day as soon as building begins to discourage a pair from nesting at your location.
Visit National Wildlife Federations barn swallow page at http://www.nwf.org/birdsandglobalwarming/birdprofile.cfm?bird=Barn+Swallow to see a photo and read more interesting facts about these beautiful and interesting little birds. There’s also a great, comprehensive four-page report called “The Barn Swallow: Friend of the Farm” at http://extension.umd.edu/publications/PDFs/FS798.pdf that includes how to attract them. It includes barn swallow nest-box plans.
July 17th, 2008