Nest Boxes
In 2012, a group of Delta Naturalists began workshopping, installing, and maintaining nesting boxes for a variety of bird and bat species in South Delta, in locations such as Boundary Bay Regional Park, Earthwise Garden, Tsatsu Shores, North 40 Park, and Kings Links Golf Course.
To date, they have installed and maintain, on a bi-annual basis, about 100 nest boxes, many of which are intended to provide vulnerable* populations of Tree Swallows, Barn Owls, bats, and other species with a safe haven to raise their young. This number continues to grow as funds and monitoring resources become available to the club.
* Species that are declining due to habitat loss, pesticide use, changes in insect populations, and competition from non-native species like the European House Sparrow in the case of Tree Swallow.
(Volunteers for monitoring and maintaining these boxes is a limiting factor to their deployment so if you’d like to help, please email us at Delta Naturalists Society!)
Nest box maintenance
The hundreds of nest boxes that have been installed require ongoing maintenance, which is performed twice per year. Every fall, a team heads out to see which boxes were used for nesting, and by which species. (For example, unwelcome House Sparrow nests are often found in the Tree Swallow nest boxes!)
The boxes are then cleaned out and either left open or the openings plugged so that rats and wasps do not move in during the course of winter. Finally, in spring, the boxes are closed and repaired as necessary, ready to take on their next family of breeding birds.
Nest box reports and map
The good that’s achieved by installing and maintaining nest boxes in South Delta extends beyond providing breeding pairs of vulnerable species with suitable places to raise their young. The data captured from these efforts offers a privileged glimpse into the health of the habitat here and how well or poorly these vulnerable populations are coping.
For a detailed map showing the location and relative success of the various species we track, check out our nest box map.
The map linked above shows our record of which species uses each box on a year-by-year basis. Try switching your browser if the map does not load for you or access the map here.
Barn owl boxes
In 2016, the program was expanded to include Barn Owl boxes. With government funding secured by Sofi Hindmarch and donations from farmers and other local businesses, two dozen boxes large enough to house Barn Owls were constructed. These were then installed on various golf courses, parks, and in farmers fields and barns.
By encouraging nesting by Barn Owls, these boxes provide a more natural method of rodent control than using pesticides. Video surveillance has shown that these boxes have been successfully inhabited by Barn Owls, and that chicks have been fledged.
Join the Delta Naturalists Society
Become a member or volunteer to monitor and maintain these boxes! Please Contact Us by filling out the form on the linked page or email us at Delta Naturalists Society.
Delta Naturalists Society 