Hi Cathy, Hmmm... I see a lot of barn swallows around number 400 Gunderman right now, so it seems that what you’re experiencing is not a neighborhood-wide phenomenon.
Also see some House Sparrows up here, and the ubiquitous Starlings. Competitors for nest boxes. -Geo > On Jun 19, 2018, at 3:10 PM, Cathy Darrow <ctdar...@twcny.rr.com> wrote: > > Prompted by the Swallow related posts a few days ago, I want to add the > complete lack of tree swallows and barn swallows at our house. This is in > Danby, Gunderman and Jersey Hill Road where there is lots of open fields that > hay is the crop. There is no spraying just spreading of lime and fertilizer. > This spring there were a few barn swallows which appeared to be looking for > the usual nesting places but then they were seen no more. And the numbers > have been decreasing for a few years. > Now the tree swallows, 3 or 4 showed up and two were seen working around > their usual nest box for a few days, when we found one dead inside the box > and none others seen since. I say the rest were probably smart but we are > feeling sad cause I feel they have been the major insect controller for our > yard over the many years when there have been many, many tree swallows over > and around our pond. Last year the numbers were down to a dozen maybe. > Hoping for something to turn around. > Cathy > > >> > > > -- > > Cayugabirds-L List Info: > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm > > ARCHIVES: > 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html > 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds > 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html > > Please submit your observations to eBird: > http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ > > -- > -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
