** Reply to note from tweeters at u.washington.edu Fri, 20 Feb 1998 00:10:52 PST


> I'm in search of information concerning the creation of bank swallow habitat.
> Our engineering firm is in the process of preparing an EIS for a small water
> supply reservoir in the southeast.
>
> The dam and spillway area would be excavated in sandstone. Many of these
> areas
> will almost be vertical and will be over or adjacent to water. As part of the
> mitigation
> for environmental impacts we are searching for various ways to creat wildlife
> habitat.
> Would bank swallows nest in holes drilled into stone? If so, do you have any
> idea
> as to spacing, diameter, and depth?
>
> Establishment of a large colony of bank swallows or perhaps another species of
> swallow might be a nice addition to the project. Bank swallows are relatively
> rare
> in the projct area.
>
> I would appreciate any information you could share. My e-mail address is
> JimTu814 at aol.com

In my experience, Bank Swallows prefer to dig there own burrows in friable soil such
as gravel piles, sand bluffs, etc. I cannot remember ever seeing any in western N.A.
which have used manmade burrows. On the other hand, Rough-winged Swallows will
readily take to any manmade cavity such as old drilling core holes in a granite
rockface, etc., only rarely digging their own burrows.

- Jack

------------------
Jack Bowling
Prince George, BC
jbowling at direct.ca

cc: JimTu814 at aol.com