By CHERYL ROMANO/YachatsNews
YACHATS — While their winged tenants are wintering in warmer climes, a local group of bird-lovers is expanding to provide more nesting boxes for some migrating species.
Thanks to the efforts of SWIFTY — Swallows In Flight to Yachats — tree swallows, violet-green swallows, chickadees and purple martins may find more housing options in the spring when they return from Central and South America and the American South.
Founded by Jim Welch and Wally Orchard of Yachats, SWIFTY volunteers have been building and installing nesting boxes since 2021. The goal is to give migrating birds safe new dwellings in the area.
Last summer, after adding locations at Beaver Creek State Park north of Seal Rock, the group tallied 88 nesting boxes. Of those, 66 were occupied by swallows and 60 were successful – meaning no dead nestlings or unhatched eggs.
Now, SWIFTY is expanding on the central Oregon coast, and seeking donations and bird box purchases to fund its growth.
“The Beaver Creek site was so successful that it became our model for public/private partnership,” said Welch.
That partnership now includes Oregon State Parks, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the MidCoast Watersheds Council, Hatfield Marine Science Center, the city of Waldport, and the Port of Alsea. The local group is now affiliated with the Audubon Society’s chapter in Lincoln City, which will provide insurance, administration and program support.
The new partners, Welch said, “provide some of our support, we provide nesting boxes and a monitor.”
Eight sites are targeted for installing nesting boxes by spring, when the birds return to the central coast.
“In addition to boxes for swallows and chickadees, we’re building 12 boxes for purple martins in the hope that we can entice these iconic birds to nest closer to Yachats,” Welch said.
He described the purple birds as “the jet fighters of swallows.” The brilliantly-colored violet green and tree swallows are known for their own “dive bomber” style as they feed on insects in the air, consuming thousands of mosquitoes in a day.
Swallows are among the fastest-declining species in the world, according to Welch. “They are impacted by climate change as well as pesticides and other pollutants,” he said.
In order to accomplish SWIFTY’s plan, the group is seeking to raise $1,500 for box materials, predator guards (inverted funnels installed on the poles that hold up the boxes), mounting hardware and monitoring equipment.
To donate, contact Welch at 970-217-4424 or email jameswelch1009@gmail.com; Orchard at 541-606-0055 or email wallyorchard@outlook.com. Alternatively, swallow or chickadee boxes are available for sale at $25 each.
SWIFTY has both a video and under-construction website now available for more information. To view the video go to this YouTube page or go to the group’s website.
In addition to Welch and Orchard, SWIFTY is led by a steering committee that includes Bob Williams and Marty Bray.
SWIFTY released a year-end report that called the success rate with swallow nests this year “encouraging.” Last year, a cold, wet spring delayed nesting activity, preventing the common swallows practice of nesting twice. But there was not an extremely hot spell “like that occurred in June 2021, which caused high chick mortality and egg abandonment,” according to the report.
The report noted that SWIFTY also monitored 13 chickadee boxes, mostly in Yachats. Of these, nine were used and appear to have been successful. In addition, SWIFTY installed several duck and owl boxes in the Yachats River valley. “We have seen pygmy owls near two of our boxes,” the report said, but it’s unknown whether the birds nested.
- Cheryl Romano is a Yachats freelance reporter who contributes regularly to YachatsNews. She can be reached at Wordsell@gmail.com
