Building birdhouses is something I’ve always loved doing. The simple woodworking skills required to make a birdhouse were taught to me by my dad when I was a youngster. Together over the years we’ve made quite a few houses in his basement workshop and had a variety of birds nest in our creations. The feeling of seeing birds raise a brood in a house I’ve made with my own hands is truly amazing. One of the first houses I can remember building with my dad was a Tree Swallow house we attached to a tree on the front lawn at the family cottage. I can’t remember exactly how old I was when we made this house, but it’s safe to say it was almost 40 years ago.
When we first put this birdhouse up, Tree Swallows were abundant and took to the house that first spring. Every year for decades swallows used the house. As is the case with many aerial insectivores, Tree Swallow numbers have declined, not enough to have them listed as species at risk like other swallows in Ontario, but their numbers have dropped. This decline was evident as we noticed fewer Tree Swallows soaring over the lake catching insects with their beaks. What we also noticed was the birdhouse was no longer being used.
Despite the lack of swallows, we left the birdhouse attached to the tree and kept our hopes up. That birdhouse certainly saw its fair share of wear and tear from the weather and over the years we resurrected it by adding a screw or nail here and there or a salvaged piece of wood to one of the sides.
In recent years, Tree Swallows reappeared and became interested in the house again. A couple of years ago, while opening the cottage in early May a pair of Tree Swallows were checking out the house and perching on nearby branches. The front had cracked over the winter and the house was in no condition for the birds to use. I removed the house from the tree and carefully took off the front. With the front off I gave the inside of a good clean. I found a narrow piece of wood in the boathouse and scabbed it on the front to hold the cracked piece together. After reattaching the front I mounted the house once again to the tree. As I did this, I was called inside for lunch. Leaving the ladder in front of the house, I went inside, washed up, and sat down at the table to eat my sandwich. As I ate, I noticed the pair of swallows going in and out of the house with the ladder only a few inches from the hole. From then on, Tree Swallows have successfully raised a brood in successive years.
I decided it was time to replace that birdhouse and thought the end of the season after the swallows had migrated south when it was time to close the cottage would be the best time. Doing so would guarantee the house was ready for the swallows next spring when they return. I wanted to build the house myself but with other commitments, mainly a new puppy, I knew I wouldn’t have time. Therefore, I decided to order a tree swallow house from Urban Nature Store.
Arriving only a few days after placing the order, I was extremely happy with the house when I opened the box. Made from eastern white pine and fastened together with brass screws the wood is treated with linseed oil to withstand the weather. Another great feature is the front swings open for easy cleaning. The new birdhouse has exactly the same dimensions as the one my dad and I made so many years ago and have had great success with. Not only is the 1.5″ hole the perfect size for tree swallows this box can also be used for Eastern Bluebirds. Houses I’ve built with these same dimensions and a 1.5″ hole have also been used by Carolina Wrens.
I went to the cottage in mid-September to close it for the winter and hung this new birdhouse on the tree. I’m excited to return once again in May 2024 and hopefully see Tree Swallows using it. Despite birds not nesting for several months, now is a great time to put up a birdhouse. Two of the key factors in a birdhouse being used are location and having it up when the birds are ready to use it. Often our intentions of adding a birdhouse in the spring are good, but life gets busy or we forget and therefore don’t have one out when the birds start nesting. If you are thinking about adding a birdhouse to your yard, I recommend doing it now. By doing so, the house can weather looking less new, and resident birds will become accustomed to seeing it. In the case of migratory birds like the Tree Swallow, you are guaranteed the house will be ready for the birds when they return next spring.
Good birding,
Paul
I take my down and put them away so mice don’t use them. I try to discourage the English Sparrows during winter that gain an advantage using the house to roost during heavy snow storms or severe cold. It also levels the playing field when the bluebirds return.
That’s a great idea Bob. Fortunately we don’t have any House Sparrows at the cottage. For the houses I’ve made I take the fronts off in the fall to clean them and then put them back on with the hole at the bottom so they double as a winter roost box. The chickadees especially use them for shelter of the cold and snow but I’ve also seen juncos go in them during a snowsquall.