Subject: Purple Martin comeback?
Date: Jul 9 13:53:52 1996
From: Dennis Paulson - dpaulson at mirrors.ups.edu


Many of you have seen stories about the Purple Martins using one or more
boxes at Shilshole. This species, which used to be common in Seattle,
essentially disappeared since I've lived here (from 1967). Same is true
with Common Nighthawk. I think these are the only birds that have
disappeared from the urban scene since I've been in the Seattle area. The
martins may well have been excluded by starlings, as they seem fairly
quickly to respond to the presence of boxes erected over the water, where
at least most starlings prefer not to nest.

A friend of mine, Kevin Li, was involved in the martin project, and he sent
me this information.

"In case you need to find the boxes or give out directions, they're most
visible from the public access beach directly behind West Marine at the
south end of Shilshole. Drive down the right side of the building, and
there's a parking area in back. The pilings are in the intertidal, maybe
100 yards west from the parking lot. Al Vetrovs and Nat Gove have a
business (Hydroproducts) right behind West Marine, and they actually put
my boxes up with their ladder, during low tide. They've got quite a tool
shop back there, and may get into nest box production for next year."

I don't know when they fledge; perhaps they have already.

Dennis Paulson, Director phone 206-756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax 206-756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416