This afternoon I paddled out to the post (a hopeful osprey platform?) in the SE part of the Montlake Fill, the one that has had two purple martin boxes on it for a number of years. As far as I know, no martin has yet been seen in these. I suspect that Ken Jacobsen and Shirley Rybock may have installed the boxes perhaps 8 or 9 years ago. Today a tree swallow flew out of one of the boxes.
Using a long boat hook I was able to hang two gourds on the cross beams above the two wooden boxes, and then quickly retreat. With some luck I'm hoping to get some martins here some time in the future. Any reports of activity from there would be much appreciated.
Thanks to Deborah-Wisti Peterson and Fred Hoyt for facilitating permission to install the gourds!

Kevin Li
Ballard, USA
kdli at msn.com