Subject: [Tweeters] re: Purple Martins on Lake Washington
Date: Aug 14 19:13:04 2005
From: Kevin Li - kdli at msn.com


Puget Sound area efforts to attract martins to nestboxes and gourds have
largely been on saltwater, most likely because it seems to work and pilings
are more widely available. Some efforts on freshwater and inland have been
successful: Lake Nahwatzel in Mason County near
Shelton(http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/eap/fw_lakes/lknahma1.html) has had
several dozen pairs for a number of years. Viewing is best from a small
boat. Fort Lewis has a number of small colonies that are inland, some on
marshes and some in natural cavities. A private residence in Lacey gets
about 4 pairs or more in housing within a small freshwater pond. A Spanaway
resident has martins in his backyard, with no open water in the immediate
vicinity. Along the lower Columbia River, Dave Fouts et al have several
hundred active martin nests.

A few years ago I was told by osprey researcher Ed Schulz that a pair of
martins were nesting at the Barbee Mill on Lake Washington, north of Coulon
Park. I looked a couple of times this year but found none. About a decade
ago Ken Jacobsen and Shirley Briggs installed dozens of boxes on the lake in
Union Bay and around Laurelhurst; none were known to have attracted martins.
A few years ago I built boxes that were installed by Don Norman at the south
border of Magnuson Park; these have only gotten tree swallows so far. I
think the pilings are perhaps a bit inconspicuous, and ideally would be more
in the open. My gourds at the Montlake Fill disappeared twice over the
winters, attracting only tree swallows.


This year, at the urging of Gene Hunn and Tony Angell, I approached the
Kenmore Parks Dept and City Council about martin housing at Log Boom Park in
Kenmore. I installed 8 gourds on 4 copper posts on the submerged pilings
near the pier. Within a few weeks, at least 4-5 gourds were active with
purple martins. A few weeks ago, one of the posts was demolished, presumably
by an errant boat. Just yesterday I photographed nestlings in a couple of
the gourds, and I think 3 or 4 are currently occupied. Fledging is imminent,
but they should stick around for a week or two afterwards.
Lake Sammamish is reported to have had 8 martin nests in boxes near Marymoor
Park in the early 80s, but then the boxes fell into disrepair. Cecily Way
installed boxes several years ago and got two pairs, I added more boxes and
the subsequent year had several pair. This year and last year have not
produced any, unfortunately.

If you want to see some martins on the lake, go to Log Boom Park in Kenmore;
mornings and evenings are often best, but you could see them anytime during
the day. At least one gourd on each of the three posts is active.

Other Seattle area colonies have been raucous with martins lately, due to
recent fledging. At Shilshole Bay and the lower Duwamish/Elliott Bay sites,
I'm often seeing 30-40 martins at a time, vocalizing loudly and swirling
around the area. I would guess that more than half the nests have fledged,
with just a few nestlings visible inside the gourds. T-105 is especially
active, but viewing is best in the evening from about 7-8 pm. Jack Block
Park was good this morning from about 9-11.

Getting back to Lake Washington: attracting martins is a challenge. I think
gourds need to be prominently in the open. I prefer using gourds because
house sparrows and starlings are attracted to boxes, and not yet to gourds.
Gourds should be hung somewhat loosely, or else house sparrows may be
attracted. I try to take them down over the winter if possible, to minimize
weathering. Time and luck are also essential!

Cricket, where are the gourds that your friend installed?

Kevin Li
Ballard, USA