When should nest boxes be put up?
You've got your site picked out and you've made a bunch of quality Tree
Swallow boxes.  Next step is putting them up, but when should this be done?

Tree Swallows return earlier than most spring migrant songbirds.  Exactly
when differs by region, but early arrivals may start to reach their nesting
grounds between late March and mid-April.  Ask local bird clubs for their
expected arrival in your area.  

It's best to have your boxes up when the swallows begin to return, but not
absolutely necessary.  Digging may be hard to impossible in wet or frozen
ground.  You can wait until the ground dries or thaws since the shortage of
nest cavities means some swallows will still be looking for places to nest
several weeks after arrival (see the swallow below).  But you will have much
better chances of 100% occupancy if your boxes are up early.










Does it matter where boxes are located at the project?
It sure does!  
  • Box location is a matter of life and death!!
  • Make it your goal to avoid all mortality from predation and from
    competition with other cavity-nesting species, which are both highly
    influenced by box placement.
  • It's a sad fact that many birdhouses are put in terrible locations, where
    birds accepting them are in grave danger.  This is true even in nature
    centers and wildlife refuges, where people should know better.  Don't
    assume something you see in such places is the right thing to do!      
  • Luckily there are some simple rules for placing boxes for the maximum
    safety of your swallows.  

RULES FOR TREE SWALLOW NEST BOX PLACEMENT:
  • Place boxes on poles out in the middle of open fields.
  • Space boxes at least 100 feet apart.
  • Keep boxes at least 50 YARDS away from bodies of water.
  • Keep boxes as far away as possible, at least 100 YARDS, from houses
    and barns.
  • Keep boxes as far away as possible from trees and bushes.
  • Keep boxes away from wood edges, hedgerows, fences, and ditches.
  • Keep boxes away from roads and other areas people can approach
    easily.
  • Mount boxes so holes are between 5 1/2 and 6 feet off the ground.
  • Position boxes so holes face south, southeast, or east.
  • Protect each box with a predator guard.

NEVER,EVER put a box at the edge of a body of water!!!
Keep boxes at least 50 YARDS away from bodies of water!  
  • Reason:  Raccoons, major predators of Tree Swallow nests, hunt along
    edges of lakes, ponds, rivers and streams.  Many bird books state Tree
    Swallows like to nest "near water", so you'll see boxes placed right at
    water's edge.  This is wrong!!  Remember, to a swallow anything within
    a mile is "near water".  The box below was predated by raccoons.








Keep boxes as far away as possible, at least 100 YARDS, from houses and
barns!  
  • Reason: To avoid House Sparrows (below left), which are deadly
    enemies of Tree Swallows and other cavity nesters.  House Sparrows
    will take over swallow boxes, destroy eggs and kill swallow adults and
    young.  The boxes in the grid below are too close to homes.








Keep boxes as far away as possible from trees or bushes.  
  • Reason: To avoid House Wrens (below left), which prefer dense cover.  
    Wrens can be very destructive, and will take over swallow boxes,
    puncture swallow eggs (below right), throw out eggs and small young,
    and fill the box with the small sticks which form much of wren nests.  
    Remove all shrubs near boxes, or better yet never put a box meant for
    swallows anywhere near shrubs or trees.








Keep boxes away from wood edges, hedgerows, fences, and ditches.  
  • Reason: Predators like Raccoons and Opossums move along these as
    they travel and hunt.  Also, bird-hunting hawks and falcons can
    approach using hedgerows and wood edges as screens.  The boxes
    below are next to a potential predator travel lane, and are also way
    too close to one another.








Don't mount a swallow nest box on a tree or fence!  They are way too easy
for predators like raccoons to reach, or for squirrels to takeover for their own
use (note the squirrel-enlarged hole in the picture below right from  
McCauseland and Sheila Johnston).










Keep boxes away from roads and other areas people can approach easily:  
  • Reason: To avoid vandalism or disturbance that could cause nesting
    swallows to desert.  The boxes below are way too close to a road.








To summarize:  keep swallow boxes as far away from buildings, blocks of
woody plants, roads, and water edges as reasonably possible!   
Below: a well-placed box.  (Also see illustration on Finding a Good Site page).










How far apart should nest boxes be?
  • Boxes for Tree Swallows should be at least 100 feet apart.
  • Measure the average distance of your stride so you can use number of
    paces to determine proper distance between boxes in the field.
  • Pairs will nest a bit closer than 100', but squabbling between close-
    nesting pairs can interfere with care of eggs and young.
  • Arrange your boxes in a grid or loop that's convenient for box checks.

What should nest boxes be mounted on?
  • Metal poles are the best box supports.  
  • One-half inch steel pipe cut to eight and one-half feet is ideal.  
  • Boxes can be attached using pipe hangers (below left).
  • A hose clamp (below middle) under the box back keeps the box from
    slipping down.







  • Wooden posts can be used but are easier for predators to climb and
    can rot.
  • Don't use snow-fence poles.  Most are too short and it's easy for
    predators to climb or jump to the box.
  • Be sure you dig holes deep enough so poles don't tip over.  
  • If necessary, wedge rocks in the hole to stabilize the pole.






  • Add a predator guard (click to link) to each pole below the box.  This is
    very important!  

How high should boxes be mounted?
  • Five and one-half to six feet from ground to entrance hole is a good
    height.  You want to prevent predators from jumping to the boxes.
  • Don't mount them any lower even if it means you'll need to step up on
    something to check box contents.  We simply use a dry-wall bucket for
    a combination stool and seat.

What direction should boxes face?
  • Experiments have shown Tree Swallows prefer boxes facing south,
    southeast or east.    
  • Facing west could expose the box contents to hot afternoon sunshine.  
  • If there's a consistent strong prevailing wind at your project site
    consider facing your boxes away from it.

What are the perch-bars (see below) made of and how are they mounted?
  • These bars aren't necessary but, when present, get used a lot by the
    swallows.
  • They are easily constructed from two pieces of 1/2" wooden dowel.
  • The lower end is wrapped with duct tape and then screwed into the
    top opening of the metal pole.
  • The duct tape will wad up in the pole, holding the perch-bar in place.
  • Bars could also be nailed or glued to the boxes.








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Learn About Birds at Tree Swallow Nest Box Projects
Box Placement
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