Subject: Seattle Duwamish purple martins
Date: Jul 1 00:05:19 2001
From: Kevin Li - kdli at msn.com


Tonight Kris Baker and I made yet another check of the lower Duwamish River nest boxes, and finally found a pair that were building a nest in one of the new boxes. Jean Power and I installed about 6 new ones this past spring at the Terminal 105 public access. Tonight's pair of martins were building their nest in very close proximity to last year's two nests, using the third box from the left as viewed from shore.

The two boxes used last year were lost over the past year, as well as a third that was used by violet green swallows. Two pairs of house sparrows, a glaucous winged gull, and a pair of violet green swallows appear to be nesting among the pilings this year as well.

With two pairs of martins nesting at Shilshole Bay, this makes for three pairs nesting at two different sites within the city. I was very close to giving up hope for this Duwamish site this year, but Dave Fouts of Portland has told me that he's seen martins arrive as late as the fourth of July. That leaves even a few more days to remain optimistic!

The ospreys were also active this evening, being successful in their fishing attempts. No eagles came to rob them, and we saw one eating a live fish atop a piling.

Yesterday at Nisqually Kris and I saw at least 130 caspian terns on the mudflats around 5pm, looking north from the observation tower at the northern edge of the loop trail. Luhr Beach fishing pier had several pairs of purple martins, as well as two pairs of tree swallows and one pair of starlings. Ironically, the starlings used my starling resistant box; apparently the door somehow came loose.

Kevin Li
Ballard, USA