I began working at the CVWMA in April of this year and am thoroughly enjoying the job. It was a busy summer. A lot of water level management and vegetation control was required due to our extremely wet spring! Here is an account of a couple of the projects I was involved with. 

 

This summer, concerns were raised by wetland naturalists at the Kootenay-Columbia Discovery Centre that predators may have been climbing up the wooden poles supporting the bat condo in Corn Creek Marsh and predating on the bats inside. Little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) among other suspected species of bats, are known to use this condo for roosting habitat. To make the poles harder for predators to climb, thin gauge sheet metal, approximately 3’ in height, was wrapped around the poles. Ideally, this will make the condo a safer, more attractive roosting environment for the bats that use it!

 

The wetland naturalists also documented a higher than typical amount of predation on the swallows using the approximately 115 nest boxes that line the Marsh Trail and Trans-Canada Trail in Corn Creek marsh. These nest boxes are mounted approximately 3’ off the ground, affixed to metal posts. Swallow species that typically use these boxes are tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) and violet-green swallows (Tachycineta thalassina). One naturalist even reported seeing a weasel (Mustela sp.)  scurry out of the box and down the mounting post. An effective solution was needed to deter predators from climbing up the mounting posts, entering the nest boxes and predating on eggs and fledgling swallows.

 

After researching potential solutions, 15 “stovepipe baffles” were built and installed on priority nest boxes. These stovepipe baffles were constructed out of 6” diameter air ducts cut into 20” long pieces, with an end cap screwed to the top end of the duct. A hole was cut into the end caps to allow for the baffles to be slid onto the swallow box mounting posts. The baffles were wired into place on the posts, approximately 8” below the nest boxes.  

 

After the 15 baffles were installed, the wetland naturalists, my co-worker Tina Watters and I continued to monitor the boxes for signs of predation. The results of the monitoring showed signs that the baffles were working! There was only one recorded instance of suspected predation on the boxes that had the baffles installed, a notable decrease from previously observed rates of predation.

 

This early indicator of success has encouraged us to install the predator deterrents on the remaining 100 nest boxes in Corn Creek Marsh over winter. Ideally, they will be affixed in a more permanent fashion to the mounting posts, using bolts instead of wire. The existing, aging nest boxes will also be refurbished or replaced, providing a securer, more watertight nesting habitat for the swallows. Hopefully, this will ensure a more successful breeding season for the tree and violet-green swallows that depend on these nest boxes next spring and summer!