Purple Martins have long been a special interest of many birders in western Washington. Olympia’s own Jack Davis was a prominent martin advocate, frequently featured in the newspaper and often helping get nest boxes up on pilings around downtown Olympia. Now, many years after those early efforts to build the population, the size of our Purple Martin population remains poorly known. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) conservatively estimates the population at 600 pairs but acknowledges that a comprehensive survey has not been done.
In our South Sound Bird Alliance area, Kelly McAllister is looking for help conducting a census of Washington’s Purple Martins in spring and summer 2026. The census is a statewide project being coordinated by the Washington Purple Martin Working Group and the WDFW. WDFW is contributing staff to the census and coordinating on protocol development. WDFW will also provide an online web map showing the locations of known Purple Martin nest locations.
Volunteer contributions to the census can come in a variety of forms. Many colonies are in housing (boxes, gourds, tubes) that we plan to monitor to determine the number of nesting pairs present. These will have assigned volunteers equipped with forms and a written protocol. Other locations are known traditional nesting areas where one or more pairs of martins use natural cavities. The more significant of these, in terms of number of nesting pairs known to be present in past years, will be assigned to volunteers, similar to the colonies in artificial housing. The remaining areas deserving of searches will be represented in lists available on the census Facebook page. An additional resource for field observers is a web map, currently in preparation, that will be available to anyone with internet access on their computer or phone.
For more information, contact Kelly McAllister at email mcallisters4@comcast.net or take a look at the “2026 Washington State Purple Martin Census Project” Facebook page.
