Hi Anne,

Thanks very much for the update. I've been seeing martins building nests in Ballard and on Elliott Bay and the Duwamish River, and I suspect the Edmonds martins may be doing the same. Typically I expect eggs by late June or early July, and hatching about 3.5 weeks later; however, it seems the last couple of years have been atypical, activities during those years being late.
I haven't been up to the Edmonds site for a few weeks, so you know more about those than I do. I got a vague report recently of someone seeing a number of martins in Edmonds, I'll check with her during the week.

This morning I was seeing more martin activity on Elliott Bay (Jack Block Park) than I've ever, with martins perusing at least about 6 cavities (gourds or wooden boxes). There were sufficient numbers so that they were bold enough to chase gulls. This is looking like a good year relative to the past seven or so! I saw up to eight martins in flight at a time, and I suspect more were present. The martins were active and easy to observe today from about 9am till at least noon. At times they landed within about 15 feet of me, making for some good pictures. With so much activity and the great weather, I found it hard to leave.

Kellogg Island had at least three martins in the wooden boxes installed by Rich Siegrist, and I was also lucky to observe a cooper's hawk chasing and being chased by crows in some nearby trees. The determination and mobility of the hawk was very impressive; at times I thought I might see a crow get nabbed.

A few days ago at Terminal 105 I saw one pair of martins.

Kevin

----- Original Message -----
From: Anne R. Winskie
Sent: Sunday, June 09, 2002 11:33 AM
To: TWEETERS
Cc: TSuchma at aol.com; Kevin Li
Subject: Update on Edmonds Purple martins

Hi, Tweets!

Took advantage of the beautiful day & low tide this morning to check out the
Purple martin houses on the pilings between Edmonds and Richmond Beach
around 10:30 AM. As we approached, we could see first 1, then 2
Glacous-winged/hybrid gulls on the pilings for some time. Just as we were
about to leave, the martin pair showed up, dive-bombing the gulls until they
left. The martins sat on same piling they used on May 25 when I last
observed them, but after less than a minute they flew off, and soon a gull
returned.

Does anyone know if the martins are actually nesting at this site?

The other avian treat of the morning was an Osprey, who plummeted into the
water and came up with a fish.

Good birding to all,
Anne Winskie

John & Anne Winskie
mailto:winskie at cmc.net
Winskie Services
Edmonds, WA