Installing new PUMA nest boxes at 3 Crabs - Photo: Chris Perry

Purple Martin Status for March 2023

  by Ken Wiersema

The report for breeding year 2022 for Protection Island National Wildlife Reserve (PINWR) and 3 Crabs was submitted to USFWS & WDFW.

The permit application for breeding year 2023 was submitted to USFWS for PINWR.

Boxes were cleaned in the fall of 2022 and stored in my barn over winter and are ready for re-install in April 2023.

Purple Martins have left their wintering territory in central South America and have headed north. A few “scout” birds have been reported in Florida and South Texas.

The OPAS Purple Martin team for 2022: Dow Lambert, Vince Thrutchley, Jason Bausher, Anna Bausher, Dee Renee Ericks, Tom Butler, Bob Boekelheide, Chris Duff, Wallace Teal.

See the summary table below of data accumulated since 1999.

   Photos of PUMA chicks in nests on PINWR.

Protection Island Purple Martin Band Check, July 27, 2022

by Dee Renee Ericks

On July 21st, Dow, Ken and I accompanied US Fish and Wildlife (USFW) staff on their scheduled maintenance trip to Protection Island. Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society (OPAS) maintains the Purple Martin nest boxes on the island. This was a routine check for nest viability.

Read more and view photos on the OPAS Blog page by clicking here.

A Pictorial Journey with the Purple Martin Crew at Three Crabs, March 31, 2022

by Dee Renee Ericks

Last week at low tide, the Purple Martin crew met at Three Crabs for the annual spring installation of Purple Martin nest boxes. Purple Martins are our largest swallow and have nested in this area for decades. These long distance migrants will be coming back from their wintering grounds in South America. We want to roll out the red carpet to welcome them on their return!

Read more and view photos on the OPAS Blog page by clicking here.

Collecting Purple Martin Nest Boxes for Fall Chores, September 20, 2021

by Dee Renee Ericks

On the quiet, sunlit Sunday morning of Sept 19th the Purple Martin Crew took advantage of the last daylight, low-enough tide to collect nest boxes. As we sloshed our way out though shallow water toward the off shore pilings, we carefully avoided soft mudflat areas that threatened to suck the boots right off our feet. Cries of thousands of gulls…Glaucous-winged, Ring-billed…punctuated the air.

Read more and view photos on the OPAS Blog page by clicking here.

Purple Martin Nest Box Project Report, June 28, 2021

by Ken Wiersema

The nesting season started off in fits and starts this year. Here is a summary status as of the end of June:

• 3 Crabs – 18 nest boxes installed on steel pilings on the tideflats. Nesting in boxes checked on 22 June. We found nesting activity in 14 of the 18 boxes and a total of 11 eggs in 3 of the boxes. It was a bit early to expect many eggs, but we have to do our checks when the tides allow us safe access. There are also Martins in 3 of the 4 nest boxes near the parking area. The 4 boxes on Dungeness Farms have become hunting perches for Bald Eagles; however, there are Martins in them too. 

•   Protection Island NWR – We are scheduled to do a box check on our 7 boxes on the docks on 29 June. We also plan to install a new foundation post for our nest boxes near the maintenance building. This site will replace the boxes previously installed on the old flag pole which is to be removed. We have reports from USFWS staff that there are Martins on and in the boxes on the docks.

•  Diamond Point – We have a report from Wallace Teal that he has nest building in progress in 8 of his 12 gourds on the beach. No eggs reported as of 25 June.

• Port Angeles Yacht Basin – Dee Renee Ericks, Carolyn Wilcox, and Kaiyote Snow have reported that we have at least 3 Martins in the 4 boxes. Nesting activities are on-going. We believe one of the birds is a 2nd year male, so we’re optimistic we’ll have chicks in these boxes this year. 

• Morse Creek – [note: site is on private property] This site was damaged by high tides and waves over the winter. We lost one of the support poles and several nest boxes. We installed 3 refurbished boxes on the one remaining pole this April. Martins were on them within minutes. Dee Renee has observed as many as 7 adult birds, both males and females on the boxes in May and June. We expect to have a successful 2021 nest year.

Thanks to Dow Lambert, Vince Thrutchely, Wallace Teal, and Dee Renee Ericks for their help on June 22nd.

Purple Martin Nest Box Update April 16, 2021

by Ken Wiersema

Between March 26th and April 16th, our Purple Martin team installed nest boxes for the 2021
nesting season. The installation included 4 boxes in the Port Angeles Yacht Basin, 26 boxes at 3 Crabs
and on Dungeness Farms, 7 Boxes on Protection Is. NWR dock, and 12 gourds at Diamond point. We confirmed that each of these sites, with the exception of Port Angeles, had Purple Martins on or in the boxes within days of installation.

The ones on Protection Island were occupied within minutes of being secured to the pilings. Thanks to our team and a special thank you to Lorenz Sollmann, USFWS, for getting the Protection Island boxes up. Our volunteers are still not allowed on the Refuge due to COVID regulations.

Purple Martin Nest Box Update November 2020

by Ken Wiersema

The following is a short summary of Purple Martin breeding activity for 2020:

3 Crabs   

• 18 Boxes on the tideflats --  Active nests found in 14 of the boxes; estimate up to 59 fledged birds

•  4 Boxes on shore  ---  Active nests found in 3 of 4 boxes; estimate  up to 12 fledged birds.

•  4 Boxes Dungeness Farms--  Active nests found in 4 of 4 boxes; estimate 15 fledged birds

Protection Island NW

• 7 Boxes on pilings in harbor – Active nests in 5 of 7 boxes; estimate  18-22 fledged birds

Morse Creek

• 5 Boxes on shore on timber posts. [ private property ] 3 of 5 Boxes had active nests; estimate 10 -12 fledged birds

Port Angeles Harbor  

• 4 Boxes on Port of PA pilings.  – Active nests found in 3 of 4 Boxes.  3 eggs found in boxes; estimate no fledged birds

Diamond Point 

• 12 Manufactured plastic gourds on poles on private property. 7 of 12 gourds had active nests; estimate 19 fledged birds.

In summary, we had a  fairly successful year. Given our estimates are valid, we added some 139 young PUMA to the western sub-species population. It will be revealing to see the return of these birds in 2021, because they migrated south through the worst fires and smoke conditions in recorded history in Oregon and California. For birds that depend on insects to fuel their migration, many of them were in peril. Due to COVID constraints, we were limited in our access to monitor boxes on PINWR and could install just 7 of the planned 9 boxes. At 3 Crabs we had about an average year. With the addition of the Dungeness Farms boxes, there were 21 active nests in our 26 boxes. The boxes on private lands at Morse Creek and Diamond Point had a successful year. The new boxes for 2020 in the Port Angeles harbor had a better than expected nesting; we fully expect that site to fledge birds next year. Many thanks again to the team that helped design, build, install, monitor, and document our PUMA project for 2020. We’ve removed the OPAS PUMA nest boxes for the 2020 season; they are cleaned, repaired, and stored in my barn until spring of 2021. 

Please contact me if you are interested or know someone who  would want to join our team at  wiersema@olympus.net.

Purple Martin Nest Box Update

by Ken Wiersema (August 28, 2020) 

3 Crabs – We have had numerous visitors and locals view and enjoy our 3 Crabs Purple Martin nest boxes in 2020. It’s been a good year for folks to observe these bird during their nesting season. Be sure to watch Cindy Fullwiler’s video of Martin fledglings she has generously allowed us to post on our OPAS website. This year we had 18 nest boxes on pilings in Dungeness Bay, 4 boxes on the tidal pond near the parking area, and 4 boxes on the west side of the Dungeness River on Dungeness Farms property. We have documented nesting in 22 of these 26 nest boxes. Due to high winds and tidal changes, we had limited access to the boxes during nesting, but we will have a better assessment of the breeding success when we take the boxes down this fall. 

Video of Purple Martin Fledglings at 3 Crabs

Created By Cindy Fullwiler

Protection Island – Due to COVID-19 rules, the USFWS limited monitoring trips to these boxes this year, so we were only able to install 7 of the 9 boxes we had been putting up. On our single monitoring trip on 15 July, we had 5 of the 7 boxes in use and saw ~ 9 eggs and 8 or 9 live chicks. Thanks to Dow Lambert and Gary Bullock for doing this box check.

Morse Creek – Here there are 5 boxes on private property. On Aug 11th, 3 boxes appeared to have Martin nests, and we were able to count 8 chicks in 2 of them. Due to the age of chicks, we did not risk sticking an endoscope in one box, as we did not want to prematurely flush young birds.   

Port Angeles Harbor – Regrettably, we had limited access to these 4 boxes this year due to lack of a boat. We did observe Martins in 3 of the 4 boxes, but we did not see food being taken into boxes. So the Martins know the boxes are there and with a better monitoring regimen set up next year, we can document a successful colony. We could sure benefit from having a regular point of contact in PA who can arrange a boat and monitoring trips to the boxes. Please contact me if you are interested or know someone who might be at wiersema@olympus.net.

Purple Martin Nest Box Update

by Ken Wiersema (June 30, 2020)

As we go to press this July, we have active Purple Martin nesting at each of our OPAS nest box sites: 3 Crabs, Protection Island NWR, Morse Creek, and Port Angeles Harbor.  

We went out for our 1st egg count of 2020 to the 3 Crabs boxes on June 26th. We found nests in 16 of the 18 boxes on the tidal flats. In 10 of the boxes we found 43 eggs. High winds prevented us from checking the onshore boxes. We’ve been unable to get out to our boxes on Protection Island due to COVID-19 restrictions, but the USFWS staff report nesting activity in our 7 boxes there. Three of the boxes at Morse Creek are in use by Martins, and may be observed from the adjacent Olympic Discovery Trail. Please do not leave the Trail to approach these boxes as they are on private property.

In addition, on June 25th, two female Martins were observed carrying nesting material into our new for 2020, boxes on the pilings in the Port Angeles Yacht Basin. We’ll be going out to check each of these sites as the nesting season progresses. Very promising start; more later. Thanks to our team members who have dedicated the time and skills toward our success. 

Purple Martin Nestbox Update

by Ken Wiersema (April 29, 2020)

While observing and working within COVID-19 constraints, we’ve managed to support our seasonal Purple Martin (PUMA) colonies at 3 Crabs and on Protection Island NWR. Through special authorization obtained by Shelly Ament, WDFW biologist, we entered COVID-19 closed WDFW land at 3 Crabs. For an hour, on April 10th we installed our 22 PUMA nest boxes on the steel pilings in the tide flats and on root wads around the tidal estuary. On April 27th, by Special arrangement with Lorenz Sollmann, Deputy Project Leader WMNWRC, we provided him with 7 cleaned and repaired boxes to install on the Protection Island piers for an urgent trip he made to the island. During both of these box installations, the PUMAs were on and in the boxes within 5 minutes of hanging the boxes. Lorenz reported that birds were in the boxes on PI before he had the anchor wires secured. Amazing!

In addition to these 2 established colonies, we have built 8 new boxes this spring and installed 4 on pilings in the Port Angeles Yacht Basin and 4 on an island at the mouth of the Dungeness River on Dungeness Farms property. Carolyn Wilcox led and organized the project  for the Port Angeles site. Carolyn obtained the support of the Port Angeles Yacht Club, and appeared before the Port of Port Angeles Commission to obtain authorization for the new PUMA boxes on Port pilings. Matt Heins, property manager of Dungeness Farms, in consultation with Shelly Ament, obtained support from the Dungeness Farms owners to do an installation on their lands. Matt walked the Dungeness Farms land with us and designated some potential sites. We selected 2 sites. OPAS members should thank these folks for their commitment to bird habitat conservation and support. It takes the cooperation and persistence of many folks and organizations to make things happen.

OPAS folks should be aware of 3 other sites. At Diamond Point, Wallace Teal has installed 20 PUMA gourds on private property, and has reported birds on them this spring. At the mouth of Morse Creek, Anita McMillian has 3 PUMA boxes near her home; she also reports 2020 bird arrivals. In addition, Tom Butler and Dave Rasmussen installed 2 refurbished boxes from my barn on North Olympic Land Trust property west of Joyce.

Needless to say, we can’t get our projects done but for the tireless, skilled, and dedicated work of our OPAS volunteer team. These are folks I have called at strange hours, and on numerous times for counsel and an abundance of scut work. Our team is the best: Dow Lambert – photos & video, pipe jointer, ladder scaler; Bob Boekelheide – laborer, box cleaner, gate opener; Laura Davis – photographer, painter, data compiler; Dan Wilson – skilled craftsman, tree scrambler, wood donor; Jason Bausher – lead Sherpa, digging specialist;  Steve Lambert – (Dow talked him into it!); Tom Butler, artist & craftsman, tree planter; Alan Smith – ladder designer. Our thanks to each. Well done!

Reinstalling our Purple Martin Colony   

by Ken Wiersema (April 21, 2019)

Those of you that have been to the 3 Crabs beach and tidelands since Easter will note that we’ve installed our redesigned Purple Martin (PUMA) nest boxes on the 3 steel pilings placed on the location of the nearly 200 creosote impregnated, timber pilings that were removed last October. 

We’ve also installed some new boxes over the wetlands adjacent to the parking area. 

Several of our PUMA team have worked this winter to determine how to use the steel pilings and affix our new tubular boxes, so we could be ready for the PUMA to return and nesting this spring. We knew that our old wooden boxes were too heavy and bulky to fit the new pilings and we’d have a riskier setup for our team to install, maintain, and monitor. 

Designing as we went, and spending some uncomfortable days in my unheated shop, we produced 18 new boxes and the installation equipment needed to hang them. We had help from Geoff McClain, the WSDOT regional sign foreman, who told us the equipment and supplies we’d need to put flat boards on round steel posts.  And Paul Tucker, owner of Independent Plumbing, who lent us eight feet of 8” diameter plastic drain pipe to perfect our design and practice installation. We also thank the North Olympic Salmon Coalition for purchasing the tools and materials we used to hang our boxes.

We had a superb dedicated OPAS team: Dow Lambert and Dan Wilson did much of the box cutting and assembling of boxes and became the climbing team who strapped the boxes on the pilings from ladders 14ft above the tideflats. Laura Davis neatly painted the markings on the tubes and along with Alan Smith, Gary Bullock, and Bob Boekelheide formed the “Sherpa” team that hauled the equipment & tools out and handed it up the ladders. Chris Perry and John Gussman came along to do the photo documentation of the project. The most rewarding part of our installation day occurred 5 minutes after we hung the 1st six boxes and moved to the next pilings — 4 Martins showed up, sang to us a bit, and perched on the new boxes. We can’t quite claim “mission accomplished” but we appear to be on a success path. Many thanks to our team and those that helped us along the way…

2018 Purple Martin Report

By Ken Wiersema

Evidence supports that our work to establish a sustainable Purple Martin colony in proximity to the 3 Crabs restoration site is succeeding. This year we repaired and re-marked eighteen nest boxes to install on the 3 Crabs pilings, and another six boxes for the sites on Protection Island NWR. At the end of June, we erected four new boxes next to the tidal lagoons adjacent to the pilings. These boxes were over land rather than over water, as were our boxes on the pilings. We had successful nests in every box but one of the last ones installed.   

On our August 10 field trip to the pilings, we counted 46 adult birds in and around the boxes on the pilings and another seven birds on the overland boxes. This was before we noted this year’s chicks fledge from the boxes. On August 28, Bob Boekelheide counted 70 Martins around the 3 Crabs parking area and on the wires overhead. This count included both adult birds and this year’s fledglings. This is the highest count of Martins recorded in Clallam County.  

Wallace Teal, who lives at Diamond Point, reported that he had three successful nests in his yard this year, and Anita McMillan had a successful Martin nest in a box we installed on her property at the mouth of Morse Creek. Additionally, both Michael Barry and Gary Bullock reported Martin sightings over and around their yards. Purple Martins were seen for the first time on an August Wednesday morning bird walk at the Audubon Center. 

We know that these birds prefer to nest and feed in proximity to fresh water, but they also will forage for food 15 to 20 miles away from their nests. With the surge in population we had this year, we expect that birds returning next May will be searching for nest cavities. We need to be vigilant watchers for where we might usefully install new nest boxes, or increase the number of boxes we have at existing sites.  

Many thanks to the dedicated team of OPAS volunteers who have built boxes, performed nest checks, and recorded data. The current team includes: Dow Lambert, Gary Bullock, Bob Phreaner, Bob Boekelheide, Laura Davis, Alan Smith, and Carl Siver. 

History

Records of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) reveal documented nesting colonies of Purple Martins in Clallam County from the 1920s.

There were small colonies under the eaves of the Sol Duc Hot Springs lodge and in the County Courthouse in Port Angeles as late as the 1930s. Since that time, introduction of non-native, cavity nesting birds, such as the European Starling and the House Sparrow, have taken many of the natural and human made cavities found over land sites and forced the Purple Martins to move their nests over water.

In the mid-1990s, Stuart Mac Robbie, OPAS board member, began a project to build and install Purple Martin nest boxes on the abandoned pilings in Dungeness Bay, located in front of the intersection of Sequim Dungeness Road and 3 Crabs Road. The birds had been observed nesting in cavities in the deteriorating wood pilings. Stuart and other volunteers decided to build and install better and safer boxes for the birds on the pilings. Initial boxes did not stand up to harsh weather conditions and had to be replaced. Volunteers built 4 simple boxes, and later replaced them with improved boxes designed for the Martins. Stan Kostka, who has been a leader in developing and monitoring Purple Martin nest colonies in Puget Sound, aided us on the project.

Each year since 2005, nest boxes are added and/or improved box designs replace older boxes. Monitoring the nest boxes usually begins in April and ends in August. Nest box replacement and monitoring must take place at extremely low, minus, tidal events to allow volunteers access across the sand flats of Dungeness Bay.

In 2005, at the invitation of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, OPAS expanded our program to include installation of Purple Martin nest boxes on Protection Island located in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Protection Island (PI) is a National Wildlife Refuge, which has restrictions on nest box placement to a few onshore locations near the southeast marina area. In 2013 we had 5 nest boxes on the island and in July 2013, there was Martin nesting activity in 4 of them. In Aug 2013, while surveying seabird nesting colonies on the north side of PI, the Refuge biologist reported encouraging news that 2 Purple Martin nests, with young birds in them, were found in natural tree snag cavities.

The 3 Crabs and Protection Island Martin houses are single-unit wooden boxes arranged in clusters. Other areas in our region have been successful at attracting Purple Martins by providing clusters of gourds for nest building.

Each year, data from the OPAS Purple Martin nest box project is sent to USFWS, WDFW, and to Stan Kostka who collects data for the Puget Sound/ Strait of Juan de Fuca.

For more information, please contact Ken Wiersema at wiersema@olympus.net.