Dear Kris and Kevin,

OK. I'm going to suggest you open the boxes and park your kayaks on the
beach. Your heroic effort on behalf of the martins is fast becoming a
catastrophe. Can you not see this? What god impulse drives you?

"When the martins finally showed up at sunset they were frustrated by the
closure, although had we not sealed them, the boxes would have been
occupied by starlings."

Wallis B.

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> From: Li, Kevin <Kevin.Li at metrokc.gov>
> To: 'Tweeters (postings)' <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
> Cc: 'Paulson, Dennis' <dpaulson at mail.ups.edu>; 'Tirhi, Michelle'
<tirhimjt at dfw.wa.gov>
> Subject: Ballard Purple Martin nesting crisis
> Date: Monday, April 27, 1998 9:33 AM
>
> Kris Baker and I observed the Ballard purple martins (1 pair) on Sunday
> evening just before sunset, after having failed to spot them several
> times earlier in the day. During those earlier periods we saw house
> sparrows and starlings all over the site, so we chased them out and
> sealed up all but one box (which was beyond the reach of our ladder).
>
> When the martins finally showed up at sunset they were frustrated by the
> closure, although had we not sealed them, the boxes would have been
> occupied by starlings. For now it seems the martins are absent much of
> the day, and return at dusk; sparrows and starling seem to have all day
> to get established in the boxes, if available. We may try leaving the
> boxes closed during the day and then open them at dusk, but the tide
> often makes access a problem. We hope to devise a system of opening and
> closing boxes from our kayaks, but we realize this to be a solution of
> desperation.
>
> This alien competition has created quite a dilemma for us and the
> martins, and we'll be checking with authorities on management options.
>
> Anyone out there in tweeterland have any suggestions?