Dear Connie,

I was interested in what you said about Purple Martins preferring nest boxes close to human habitation. It seems that many successful nesting colonies of Purple Martins have been established over water, not particularly near houses. In Bellingham, we have two nesting sites for PUMA's, one on a long pier and one on pilings just offshore.

And speaking of people-birds, Violet-green Swallows are also very people oriented. They take very readily to nest boxes designed for them, even in the heart of downtown Bellingham, and they're very tame, allowing a very close approach.

Barry Ulman
Bellingham, WA.


On Apr 22, 2011, at 5:38 AM, Connie Sidles wrote:

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> ? Martins are people-birds. Apparently, if you erect their houses too far away from human activity, the martins won't move in. For this reason, we have decided to move our own pole a little closer to the greenhouses (in the fenced-off field on the southeast side of the CUH buildings).