Purple Martins at 3-Crabs - Photo: Dow Lambert

At our July 8th, 2024 Backyard Birding program, Ken Wiersema, details background information on migration, nesting requirements, and diet as well as 20 years of local data on the Purple Martin’s progress in adapting to our human-made nesting cavities.

As a result of habitat loss and nesting competition with human-introduced species, this bird is nearing “threatened” status in Washington State. Since 1998 the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society has dedicated work and resources to a project that provides safe and species-specific nesting cavities for Purple Martins to help them nest and reproduce successfully and remain a part of our state’s vibrant array of birds.

Watch now to learn more and view some recent photos of Purple Martin colonies in British Columbia.