Date: 7/2/25 11:58 am From: Elaine Chuang via Tweeters <tweeters...> Subject: [Tweeters] Counting and Enjoying Purple Martins
Appreciation to Stan and the larger group for this call to organize those interested in Purple Martins (PUMA)! Many of you know that for the last 20 years, there has been a core group of Purple Martin supporters who have carried on the pivotal work of Kevin Li, the individual who essentially brought martins back to the Puget Sound area. These dedicated folks from the King County Environmental Lab Department and volunteers such as Carl Bevis, Michael Hobbs, Larry Hubbell and Martin Muller among others, have worked closely with WDFW to maintain existing ones as well as to install new PUMA housing in the Seattle region.
These current local sites range from long-standing collections of gourds that hang along Shilshole Bay and the Duwamish Waterway/Kellogg Island (these birds do like to socialize) to more isolated gourds, gourd racks and wooden homes at sites such as Lake Sammamish, Union Bay Natural Area, Green Lake and the Myrtle Edward fishing pier. And most recently, there are now two racks of gourds on the Expedia Group property near Terminal 91 (thank you, Expedia). Be there early (best vocalization is their Dawn Song) and you might be lucky enough to enjoy the sound of purple at some of these locations! So many more Purple Martins make their homes around the state - join in on this effort by contacting Stan!
Elaine Chuang Seattle elc@uw,edu
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 2025 09:31:58 -0700 From: Stan Kostka lynn Schmidt To: <tweeters...> Subject: [Tweeters] Counting Purple Martins
Hello Tweets, hope everyone is enjoying the weather .
There is currently an effort underway to organize and conduct a search, survey, and count of the number of breeding pairs of Purple Martins in Washington State. If you are interested in being involved, please let me know. If you know anyone you think may be interested, please let them know.
Martin abundance in any region, is generally (always) defined by the known number of breeding pairs, also known as active nests. British Columbia, Oregon, and California have already done this to some extent, but it?s never been done in Washington. There have been estimates in the past, but the fact is that currently nobody really knows.
The earliest nesting Purple Martins in Washington State are now tending to young that are about one week old. Soon, in another couple weeks or so, will be the best time to observe the height of activity at a martin colony, when adults will be busy feeding rapidly growing young, many of which by then will be making an appearance being fed at the nest cavity entrance.
Counting breeding pairs involves identifying active nests. Some people will be looking into nest cavities to confirm the presence of eggs or young. However, at most sites, nests will not be accessible, so counting will be done by observing and recording bird behaviours. Birds entering nest holes in July and August, especially when carrying food, and removing fecal sacs, are how we determine an active nest without looking inside. Later when young appear at the entrance, that observation alone confirms an active nest. Later in the season after young are fledging, they are often visible returning to their natal cavities at dusk, for a week or more before they begin migration.
Covering all of Western Washington over the next couple seasons is going to be a big project, and so the more eyes in the field the better. So, if you are interested in looking for and counting Purple Martins anywhere in Western Washington, please let me know.
