Hi Tweets,

Seems to me that this post and all the responses dovetail nicely into the recent discussion about Tweeters and eBird. In my experience, these two sites do not compete, but rather they complement each other, and both are invaluable.

After a quick check it appears that every Purple Martin location reported in the responses posted to Tweeters were already listed on eBird, except for the 11th Street Bridge (also known in martin data as Hylebos waterway).

I've been chasing martins around the Northwest for a long time. Years ago I had photo copies of pages of the Delorme Atlas on the wall of my office, and I would spend countless hours searching various literature, listserves, Audubon newsletters and field notes, WOS publications, etc. etc. , creating a map of martin occurrence throughout Western Washington. The process took hours and hours over months and months, but by the end of September each year I had a pretty good idea of where the martins were, and how they were doing. I was worn out, but satisfied. That was then. Now, all I do is log onto eBird, and Voila !, each year a map magically appears.

And now for the magic of Tweeters:
Since eBird does not provide contact info for observers, I am unable to follow up on reports that in my experience I judge to be questionable, or noteworthy, relative to date and or location. Here is an example: 13 April eBird report of martins entering a snag cavity at Buffalo Ponds in Snohomish County. That's an early date to see martins entering a cavity, and it's a freshwater site, so I'd very much like to follow up on that. Does anyone have contact info for Vaughn, Mark, and Jamie Holland ?

And now that it's been brought to my attention, The Hylebos Waterway has been historically a very reliable site for martins, with a nestbox colony there dating back to 1984. So, it's noteworthy, at least to me, that there are no eBird reports from there. Are the pilings and nestboxes gone ? Thanks for any info anyone can provide.

Thanks Tweets.
Stan Kostka
lynnandstan at earthlink.net
Arlington



On Fri, May 28, 2021 at 7:43 PM Hans-Joachim Feddern wrote:
I have been unsuccessful so far to find any Purple Martins this
spring. I have tried at 11th Street Bridge in NE Tacoma and at
Ruston Way without luck. Has anybody seen any and at what location?

Good Birding!

Hans Feddern
Twin Lakes/Federal Way, WA
thefedderns at gmail.com