Since the abandoned pilings are to be removed, be aware that
martins would do just fine with nests right in the marina, up on
pilings directly above boats and people walking back and forth , the
birds are highly tolerant of human activity near their nests, and the
boxes would be much easier to install and maintain. Somewhere along
the outer perimeter, maybe in the area of the guest moorage, is
usually a good place to suggest to marina operators. There are many
examples of martins using boxes or gourds in active marinas, but be
aware that some boat owners may not be too happy about such a
proposal, because they will erroneously assume the martins are
responsible for all the bird poop on their boats, but with a little
education as to what species are making the most mess, ie gulls and
crows, most people eventually are happy to have the martins nearby
during the boating season, since martins almost always drop fecal
sacs over water if they have the opportunity, and martins will tend
to harass gulls and crows, and drive them away from their nest
sites. Some years ago after a martin colony was established on
the State Parks/WDFW pier at Cornet Bay, a park employee asked me if
I could put martin boxes at some other nearby park locations,
because he noticed that since the martins became established as
breeders there on the maintenance pier, the incidence of gulls using
the pier to perch and feed was noticeably reduced during the summer
months, along with most of the resulting droppings and collection of
cracked shells. Just a little good PR there for the martins.

Stan Kostka
lynnandstan at earthlink.net
Arlington

On Mar 8, 2008, at 7:06 PM, Kara Whittaker wrote:

> Much thanks to Stan and Michael for the excellent, detailed martin
> advice. I was informed that the pilings at Seacrest are going to
> be removed, so I'm looking into alternative support structures.
> I'll follow your instructions carefully and should have a pretty
> decent chance of attracting martins, because we are close to the
> colony at Jack Block park and see martins overhead regularly during
> the summer.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Kara Whittaker
> www.kayakalki.com
> West Seattle
>
>
>
> On Fri, Mar 7, 2008 at 2:02 PM, stan Kostka lynn Schmidt
> <lynnandstan at earthlink.net> wrote:
> Hi Kara,
>
> Do not use an apartment style martin house. They are a quick and
> easy way to get multiple nest cavities up in the air but they do not
> best suit the needs of the birds, for a variety of reasons. A
> cluster of cavities with more space between entrances is better.
>
> Years ago Kevin Li switched from single wooden nestboxes to gourds,
> for a couple reasons he said, gourds were easier for him to prep and
> hang , and more importantly they tended to be used less by house
> sparrows, for whatever reason, perhaps the motion in the wind.
> If you hang gourds be sure they can swing a bit, but do not spin.
> Natural gourds will insulate nests better than plastic, assuming the
> nests stay dry in both, but natural gourds will not last as long,
> and they have no access ports unless you go to the trouble to install
> them, or can buy them already prepared.
>
> The best place for martin nest cavities is over water. Cavities over
> water are less likely to be used by starlings and house sparrows,
> and are safe from climbing predators. Are you planning on using the
> abandoned pilings there at Seacrest ? I havent been there in a while
> so don't even know if they are still there. If so, be sure to find
> out from whoever administers the site as to whether or not the
> pilings have been targeted for removal as part of creosote cleanup.
>
> One drawback of gourds is that they tend to attract vandals more than
> fixed wooden boxes. There's something about a hanging gourd that
> says "target" to certain people. Are there rocks on the beach
> there ? If so, it's likely some knuckleheads will be throwing
> rocks. A wooden nestbox is much more durable than a natural gourd. .
> If you hang gourds on pilings, hang them so they are on the far side
> from shore. Hang them at least five feet above the highest tide that
> will occur between April and October. The higher the better, but
> not so high you cant get to them without too much trouble.
>
> When you install whatever you decide to install, do it in such a way
> that you can access the things in the event they get used by house
> sparrows. If the gourds have no access ports from which you can
> remove nests, the only thing you can do is remove the gourd entirely
> if house sparrows persistently occupy and reoccupy it. I dont
> think its a good idea to hang any birdhouse unless you are committed
> to controlling exotics to a reasonable extent.
>
> No way to know the timing of each breeding season in advance, but
> likely the first birds wont be back here until April, many to most
> adults will arrive in May, second year birds later, even into
> early July. Martins display extreme site fidelity, so, the birds
> that use new nest sites generally are second year birds breeding for
> the first time, or after second year adults that experienced
> reproductive failure somewhere else in the previous season. The
> earliest I have ever seen eggs in the Sound has been first week of
> June, so I would not hang anything until May first at the earliest.
> I have seen martins use sites that did not even go up until after the
> middle of May. By then all or most starlings will have selected
> nest sites elsewhere, and hopefully house sparrows too.
>
> Another thing worth mentioning, since the subject of martins has come
> up , is a recent publication in Conservation Genetics, Baker et al,
> showing that eastern and western populations diverged about
> 200,000-400,000 years ago. So, western conservation efforts take on
> new importance, I think, since besides being somewhat different in
> morphology and behavior, it is now known that the very small
> western population in the US, which represents a fraction of 1% of
> North American martins, is significantly differentiated from the
> millions of eastern birds.
>
> Let me know how it goes and if you see any banded birds.
>
> Looking forward to spring.
>
> Stan Kostka
> lynnandstan at earthlink.net
> Arlington
>
> On Mar 7, 2008, at 5:07 PM, Kara Whittaker wrote:
>
>> Hi Stan,
>>
>> I was directed to you as a "pre-eminent leader for PUMA's in WA"
>> by Sue Chickman, because I would like to put up some martin nest
>> boxes or gourds at Seacrest Marina on Elliott Bay in Seattle. The
>> city owns the property, but my husband Greg and I operate Alki
>> Kayak Tours there and would like to certify the area by NWF
>> 'backyard habitat' standards. I am an ornithologist by training,
>> but haven't worked with this species before and have a few
>> questions to optimize our chances for success.
>>
>> 1. Do martins show a preference for single houses, group houses,
>> or gourds? I read online that they don't use group houses in the
>> PNW.
>>
>> 2. What is the best way to avoid occupancy by starlings or
>> sparrows...the correct size and shape of the entrance hole?
>>
>> 3. I imagine a predator baffle is important...any other safeguards?
>>
>> Thanks for your help,
>>
>> Kara Whittaker
>> Alki Kayak Tours
>> www.kayakalki.com
>
>

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