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Barn swallows being protected in King
By Mark Pavilons
It's good to know that progress doesn't come at the expense of our fine-feathered friends.
With a little help from various levels of government, some barn swallows are safe in northern King Township.
The Highway 9 bridge site near the Holland Marsh is approximately 60 years old and has reached the end of its
service life. In anticipation of the replacement of this structure in 2015, staff at the Ministry of
Transportation (MTO) compensated for the removal of the barn swallow nests found beneath the existing
bridge, by creating nearby kiosks for their habitat. According to Astrid Poei, communications coordinator with
MTO, the kiosks were created in April 2013 and will be monitored annually for three years.
The work on the Highway 9 structure is anticipated to take two years to complete. Following construction
completion, the kiosks will be left in place.
Poei explained the province of Ontario passed a new Endangered Species Act in 2007, making it a North
American leader in protecting species at risk. The act, which updated a 1971 law, protects three times as many
species, emphasizes science-based decision making, and protects not only species but also their habitat. The
barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) is a medium-sized migratory songbird found in open country habitats.
Barn swallows typically feed on flies, beetles, bees, ants, butterflies, and other flying insects. Their nests are
constructed using mud pellets and are lined with grasses and feathers. Nest building takes up to 15 days and
old nests are often repaired and reused over multiple years, which requires less time and effort than building a
new nest. Nests are typically constructed on man-made structures, which include barns, sheds, stables, as well
as the undersides of bridges, and culverts.
Poei said due to population declines across the northern portion of its North American breeding range, the barn
swallow was uplisted to the Endangered Species Act in 2012 as a “threatened” species in Ontario.
Some of the factors for their decline can be nest predation, competition from other species, removal of nests
and loss of habitat.
As a result, when the species was uplisted under the act, mitigation/compensation measures became legislated.
That included prohibiting the removal of previously constructed nests during the barn swallow breeding
season, which runs May 1 to August 1. The removal of a previously constructed nest is only permitted outside
of this timing window.
This is the reason the swallows were given a new home in King.
MTO, in consultation with the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), developed a plan to prevent swallows
from nesting on the existing structure, while compensating for the existing nests underneath the bridge. The
work included building a 70-foot-long linear structure, called a bird kiosk, to offset the loss of nesting habitat
underneath the bridge. The work was completed in advance of replacing the Highway 9 bridge structure to
minimize disturbance to the species, in accordance with the Endangered Species Act.
The act states that for each barn swallow nest removed, damaged or destroyed, the person must substitute it
with one wooden nest cup.
With respect to the Highway 9 bridge site, the wooden nest cups were installed in a newly constructed kiosk
within one kilometre of bridge site, and within 200 metres of foraging habitat. The legislation requires that the
kiosk be maintained and monitored for a three-year period, and that the results be provided to the MNR.
Recovery strategies are developed for each species at risk to provide the MNR with the best available scientific
knowledge on what is required to recover a species. The strategy outlines the habitat needs and the threats to
the survival and recovery of the species. It also makes recommendations on the objectives for protection and
recovery, the approaches to achieve those objectives, and the physical area that should be considered in the
development of a habitat regulation.
Investigating the vital rates of barn swallows in Ontario using various nest types has been identified as one of
several initiatives in understanding the approach to recovery for this species.
Poei said the MTO is continuing to work with the MNR as well as other interested stakeholders in researching,
monitoring, educating, and communicating these recovery efforts.
Excerpt: It’s good to know that progress doesn’t come at the expense of our fine-feathered friends. With a little help
from various levels of government, some barn swallows are safe in northern King Township.
Post date: 2014-04-08 15:46:11
Post date GMT: 2014-04-08 19:46:11
Post modified date: 2014-05-21 11:09:26
Post modified date GMT: 2014-05-21 15:09:26
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