Way back, when Drs. Suckley and Cooper were among the few naturalists in
Washington Territory, they recorded their observations of Pacific Northwest
wildlife in "The Natural of Oregon and Washington," published in 1860. They
indicated that purple martins were very rare in the region though a nesting
pair had been seen in the oaks on the Nisqually prairies. By the early
1900's purple martins were reportedly common nesting in the "business
districts" of the larger cities in Puget Sound country. In 1945, about the
time of the arrival of starlings, Earl Larrison reported 12,000+ purple
martins using a pre-migration roost at Green Lake... whaaat! unbelievable.

Could purple martins have responded favorably to human developments along
the Puget Sound shoreline? Were starlings the real reason for their
eventual decline? Why have they now rebounded with the provision of nest
boxes placed out over the water? Is it, as Dennis suggests, avoidance of
over-water situations by starlings?

The purple martins I monitored in Budd Inlet during the late 1980's were
late bringing off broods. There may have been a few fledged broods in the
first week of July, but most were not out until the last two weeks of July.

Kelly McAllister
alleyes at mail.tss.net