Purple Martins in the Upper Fraser Valley

[Gord]

With three purple martins spotted at the boxes in Nicomen Slough today, I thought Id start a general discussion thread to follow the happenings. This is a very promising development in having purple martin colonies back in the area once again.

I have been keeping the BC Purple Martin Stewardship & Recovery Program Coordinator up to date on what we're seeing at the boxes and Ive been learning quite a bit more than I ever knew about this species. Here's a summary of interesting facts.

Purple Martins are colony nesters where they like to nest as a group together much like cliff swallows, bank swallows, great blue herons etc. As they are a big swallow (starling size!) many ask how starlings play into having successful martin nesting. There is a challenge sometimes in keeping starlings out of the box, but since martins are colony nesters, only one starling will take over a martin box and keep away other starlings which keeps the other boxes free for martins. House sparrows are more challenging as they will tolerate each other and nest close by. Happily the habitat martins like is usually not a house sparrow's first choice.

Martins prefer to nest over or near water well away from tree cover. Estuaries and bays are very popular. Out here is the first record of martins showing interest in freshwater sites for a long time. The last colony of martins out our way was probably in the 1960's if not earlier due to changes in house design (they used to nest in buildings in towns)

New colonies are usually started by last year's young. The adults (2 or more years of age) return first to the colony. The sub-adults return later and if there isnt room, are sent on their way to find new areas to nest.

The banded bird I saw on Sunday is a male and not a female as I originally thought. Sub-adults can be difficult to tell the difference between. There is the possibility that there will be nesting taking place at Nicomen this summer, as I think the other two birds I saw today were females. I think. I was interested to see that both these new birds were not banded. Im waiting to hear back on that. The banded bird is likely from north Puget Sound in Washington based on the band colour. There is a number stamped on this coloured band but it's hard to see unless the bird is close, the light is right and you have a good scope. Just a bit tougher to read than on a swan collar!

Keep an eye on these boxes to see if there is nesting taking place! Sounds like nesting is very possible!

Also, any records on martin sightings in our area? I know of two, one at Cheam Lake Wetlands and I remember someone saying they found a dead one in Fairfield Island in Chilliwack. I suspect it was Denis Knopp who saw this. It was many years ago and Im surprised I remember! Post any sightings you may have as the recovery program will be most interested.

[Deleted]

This is exciting news. I have been given to understand that all nesting in SW BC since the Purple Martin recovery efforts began has been limited to salt water sites, so I thought it might take a while for them to expand out this way. It's great to hear that there are birds there already in the first year.

I was contacted about the possibility of placing and monitoring nest boxes in the cenral and eastern valley, but could not commit the time to it.

Last summer we saw two immature Purple Martins in Langley, and it was suggested to us by the bander involved with the Port Moody colony that they were probably from that colony.

Can you tell us where the nest boxes are located? I was assuming they might be near the bridge at Dewdney, given the number of pilings accessible there, but that was only a guess.

Thanks for keeping us posted,

Stan

[Gord]

Stan, the boxes are near Dewdney just downstream from the Hwy #7 bridge over Nicomen Slough. The road you can view them from is River Road.

If you have dates for the Langley sightings, Im sure they will be interested to make note of them.

[Deleted]

Hi, Gord.

Just downstream from Dewdney, between the store and the shingle mill, there was an old church that was later turned into a school that was later turned into a pub that eventually burned down. I went there for Grade 2, when it was a school, of course, so I know the area.

I think I gave the date for the Langley sighting to Charlene, but I don't remember for sure. I'll look it up.

Thanks,

Stan

[Gord]

Yup, that's the area!

Today at 11:00 there were all three buzzing around preening, checking out the boxes and chasing the kestrels. Eventually two took off in a feeding pattern and one appeared to go into the box where a nest and eggs are very strongly suspected and not come out.

If nesting is taking place, than we should see increased activity of feeding young soon as incubation will be over very soon.

[Gord]

Today I watched the boxes for about 20 minutes. During this time a martin came and left the boxes twice in a classic 'feeding young' behaviour.

Looks good for little martins in the boxes!!!

[Deleted]

I should have taken time to post earlier. I saw two and possibly three Purple Martins at the nest boxes at Dewdney on Sunday afternoon, July 30. I arrived there about 3:30 and soon noticed one flying around and then approaching the nest box. It landed on the sill and another bird flew off from the box and disappeared while the first one entered the nestbox. About 15 minutes later this happened again.

I was trying to watch the nest box with the scope to identify whether I was seeing adult male or female, or first summer male or female, as shown in Sibley. I also wanted to see if the pattern of exchanges would continue and if so at what intervals. But my conclusions were inconclusive, both as to the ID of the individual birds and the pattern of activity.

Occasionally I would see one of the martins flying around beyond the slough, and at one point there were two birds perched near each other and preening on the wire over the slough nearby, which I would guess were both adult females of the lighter western type. I never did positively see a male, although I think maybe the first bird I saw leaving the nest box was a male, but I didn't get much of a look at it.

Stan

[Gord]

Good report Stan. I would suspect that around that time the young were just hatching, or just hatched as the behaviour sounds like 'brooding' where the adults tend to the new hatchlings closely until the young are a few days old and then both adults increase feeding activity.

Feeding activity is certainly increasing as today I watched for 20 minutes and observed three feeding visits within this time. On the third feeding while the adult was in the box, a pair of juvenile starlings came and started snooping around the boxes. Both even landed on the sill of the box that has the nest in it and peeked in. I expected the martin to burst out at any moment to lay a whoopin down, but she/he didnt come. The starlings did pull back several times so I suspect there was an angry martin snapping his or her beak at them. They eventually lost interest in the area and took off. They never did enter a box. Later that afternoon on my way by, I saw one on the wire and had a look. This bird obviously had food in its beak, and it went into the box a second after I saw the mouth(beak)full.

From what the PUMA recovery team leader has told me, determining female and male for sub-adults can be sort of tricky. The original martin I saw in June appeared to be a female to me, but apparently it is a male by the band.



Sure looks like a female!!! Of the three that's there, I cant say any looks like a male to be honest, although two look very much the same with greyish 'ears' or collars so I suspect two females, and obviously there has to be at least one male. To make it more interesting, Ive learned that not often a single female is alone, it's usually a bachelor male.

Well, next year, we should have full adult birds at the boxes if all goes well!!

Right now, a banding exhibition is being planned for the next week, so we may soon find out how many young are in the box.

[Deleted]

Any idea when the banding session will take place? It would be great to be able to observe. But I guess it's not going to be a public session. Can you tell us who the bander will be?

The date for my observation of two immature Purple martins at 7600 Glover Rd., Langley, was Sept 1, 2005. It looks like I didn't report this to the recovery team, so feel free to do so if you have their contact information.

Thanks,

Stan

[Gord]

The bander will be a volunteer from the PUMA Recovery Team who's been very busy banding birds on the coast (over 500 young!!)

We're banding on Thursday around 10:00. Anyone's welcome to watch from the road.

Ill also pass on your sighting. That's a good one, and a late sighting as well as most are gone not soon after to my understanding.

[Gord]

Yesterday, we met with Kiyoshi and Roy who work with the Recovery Team.

The weather was not very nice, but we got the ladder up and Kiyoshi checked the box. Surprisingly enough, the young, two of them, were not more than 5 days old with one even a bit younger. The young have to be at least 10 days old, but not older than 16 days for optimum banding. Apparently near the end of incubation, the female stays tight on the nest and we probably saw the male feeding her and thought it was young being fed and that the young would be at least 10 days old. I am told this is a common problem when trying to figure out when the eggs have hatched, so I dont feel too bad.

We will have to plan a new visit late next week to band these birds.

There is some concern at the age of these martins which will make them fledging at the end of the month. Usually, the bulk of martins are rip roaring to go south and we hope that the weather cooperates and that enough martins are still around when these two are ready to go too. Fingers crossed!

Here's a picture of the female (?) who landed on the box while we were getting ready to leave. I took a picture, but the darn flash went off and I think it scared her. grr. This bird has the red band on her/his leg. Would be nice to get the number from the band to learn exactly where its from.






Will have another report when we do this again on Aug 20.

[Deleted]

Hey, I know Kiyoshi and Roy. I've been getting involved with Roy's recent sunrise hummingbird banding sessions at Widgeon Slough, where Kiyoshi assists, but I didn't realize Roy was banding PUMA also.

Gord, could you email me personally and let me know when the rescheduled PUMA banding session at Dewdney will be? Sorry, I don't always remember to log on to this website regularly so I may miss it if it's posted here.

I don't know if I can make it but I'd like to try if I can get off work. I'd be very interested to observe.

Thanks,

Stan Olson
[e-mail]

[Gord]

Will do, Stan

We'll be banding on Sunday Aug 20 at 8:00 or so.

Some more information. Ive been learning so much. Seems that we very easily could have been seeing young being fed (the male actually doesnt feed the female on the nest, not sure where I thought I heard/read that) but very possibly some of the young died and even the remaining young could be older than they appear, but are developmentally slowed due to possibly less food being available. Still, this does happen in colonies and even among pairs in a colony, so we can hope that it's just that, and not the area that does not have a suitable amount of food available that's causing this to happen.

We should be ready for there not being any young when we check the box on Sunday. Nestling mortality isnt rare, and this box seems to exhibit a high risk of this happening.

Also, one box had a incomplete martin box. Bruce suspects that there could have been two pairs (we did have three at one time) but one may have been caught by the peregrine falcons and friends that are not uncommon in the area.

[Deleted]

Thanks, Gord.

I'm going to try to make it for 8:00 Sunday.

I was interested in your comment about possible lack of suitable food in the area. On Sunday the 13th I walked some distance down the dyke on the east side of the slough, and there were LOTS of dragonflies there, predominantly female meadowhawks, either Cherry-faced or perhaps White-faced, I think.

When I was watching the martins on July 30 I noted that most of the times I saw them they were flying over that area, on the east side of the slough. I didn't see any martins at all on the 13th.

I have been told, but never checked it out, that the primary food source for PUMA is dragonflies. So I hope they are doing okay for food. Of course there may have been fewer dragonflies around earlier in the nesting cycle.

I don't know where you put the boat in. Maybe at the park at the mouth of the slough? It would be rather awkward to do so at the small dock just before the Stave Lake Cedar mill opposite the boxes, I would think. I'll just go to the small pullout by the mill and watch the proceedings, although it would be nice to touch base with Roy and Kiyoshi.

Thanks,

Stan

[Gord]

Stan, glad to hear you saw lots of food in the area. I saw lots of swallow activity there too recently which must indicate some food. The small young and brood size must then be due to other than food. Bruce says these clutches happen in colonies where most are doing well but there is the one or two that seems to struggle for unknown reasons.

Wouldnt surprise me if PUMA like dragonflies seeing as though they are bigger. Would be neat to find out for sure. I also didnt see any martins on the 13th either. I was only there for about 10 minutes though, so that means nothing, but Im still nervous that the best we will have for the colony this year is a confirmed breeding record.

Im picking up the banding tream from Dewdney and launching in Chilliwack (will be watching for Forster's tern again!) The pullout will be a great place to watch, and you can come and say "hi" at the launch as well either before or after.

Hope we still have something to band!