Haven't been reading much on this list lately, but Carol
Schulz' note about the martins on Brown's Point is worth
a follow up. Clarice and I were watching the same tall
ships, at the same time, yesterday from Point Defiance
Park. We picked a spot up on the bluff, near the
Japanese Garden, on top of the cliff above the Tacoma
Yacht Club, the Ferry landing, etc. Picked it for a good,
elevated, view.

I also saw some purple martins landing in a tree. We
were right under a tall, deciduous, tree-- using it for
shade (didn't think to pick out its species) and I noticed
two pointy winged birds fly in to the top. My first
reaction, merely from force of habit, was starlings. But
they weren't right when they flew out and back in. So I
backed up from the tree and tuned in to it (had both
scope and bins) and saw that they were two female
martins. They flew out toward the water and
disappeared below the bluff. About half hour later they
came back to the same tree.

I was quite taken, for I have never seen martins land in
a tree, but I guess they had learned from the ones Carol
saw (or maybe the same birds???) I did not see them
actually take any nesting material, but I couldn't really
see what they were messing around with up there. So,
guess it was a busy day for the Ruston area martins.

Took the tour on the Pallada and the Cauhtemoc today.
As stated by others, both are amazing craft. But go
early. Today at 10:30 the line was only 1.5 hours. Later
in day line was 3 hours.

Checked up on the falcon family both yesterday and
today. The young are flapping and carrying on, about to
fledge. With the bridge up, their counter weight home
has been lowered to a level just a little above the
roadway, and its going to stay that way throughout the
festival. C. talked to one of the police at the bridge, who
said they were watching the family and had instructions
as to what to do if (when) one of the youngsters takes
its first dive.
Jerry Broadus, PLS
Geometrix Surveying, Inc.
P.O. Box 249
Puyallup, WA. 98371