Loss of Swallow habitat

[northerner2]

Let me say that I am not sure whether this is an appropriate post to this list, but.

A Garden Centre on Heart Lake Rd., north of Sandalwood, in Brampton, has a large sand pile at the rear of the property.
This has been scraped in form a bank some time ago, because, now, it is a nest site for a hundred or more swallows (?). (photos available)
My concern is that the sand pile is being excavated away in bits. If this process of sand removal is not stalled until the end of nest season, a whole generation of swallows will be lost.

It goes without saying that the general loss of habitat in the GTA is ongoing with development, but it seems callous to me that staff there are remarkably unconcerned about this. The mosquitoes must be delighted with this prospect.

What is to be done ? And my apologies if this post is misplaced...

Gerry T.

[Pat Hodgson]

Destruction of bank swallow nests is clearly illegal, but unfortunately rather common.  Similar to all the bird nests chopped up in hayfields and logging, all illegal but generally ignored with respect to enforcement.

Can you talk to a manager/owner at the facility, more in an informative than confronting discussion, and inform him/her of the issue and ask if there is any way for them to continue their operations in a way that does not harm the swallows?  Try to have a constructive discussion and do not threaten enforcement.  Maybe somehow get them to see that they could create some positive PR for themselves by acting to allow the nesting to continue?  This is the sort of thing a weekly community newspaper might report on, if there were a positive outcome (especially a publication that this business advertises in, if you can think of one).

Failing that I suppose you could attempt to initiate some sort of enforcement via MNR, but I have no idea whether that is likely to be successful, or how exactly to get it going.  Bringing down enforcement on this kind of thing sometimes will not really help because the business will permanently destroy the 'habitat' so that the birds never come again and cause risk of further disruption of business activities.

I don't think your post is at all misplaced - unfortunately we have few places to talk about this sort of thing, what with Ontbirds being sightings only.

[northerner2]

Thanks for your reply and information.

I have spoken with one of the owners. He is very aware of the swallows, and the mosquitoes they consume. He tells me that the screening of sand and soil on the bank at the rear of the sheer face where the swallows are, is continuing, but he will not be excavating any more sand until "mid to late summer". It is to be hoped that the young swallows will have fledged and gone by then. There is no sheer face at the back of the nest site, so hopefully the screening of soil and sand will not interfere with the swallows.

What is inconvenient about this situation is that  the sheer face where the nests are appears to have been created in early Spring, and if no excavation had been done then, there would not have been the sheer 'cliff wall' of sand, and the swallows would not be there !!!

I see from the MNR site that they have some responsibility for protection of birds and nest sites, which was news to me. I may contact them, since my call to the Brampton Guardian. has gone unanswered.

Thanks again,

Gerry T.