Purple Martin Box Building Day

 Yesterday, Wally and I went up to Newport to volunteer our help making Purple Martin Nest Boxes.  Oregon's foremost Purple Martin expert, Eric Horvath, decided to build about 50 new boxes to add to ones that he installed many years ago.  Eric is a recently retired US Forest Service biologist.  Over a 2 year period back in 1998, he counted 768 nesting pairs of Purple Martins in the whole state.  Because there are fewer snags with woodpecker holes, and the taking over of cavity nest sites by Starlings and House Sparrows, Purple Martins mostly nest in man made boxes that have entry holes too small for Starlings, but big enough for the Purple Martins to squeeze in.  

SWIFTY members Cathy, Kurt, and Wally in Eric's "workshop".  Luckily, it didn't rain.

Eric scavenged all the materials, and we nailed everything together with stainless steel nails.  For us who painstakingly measure twice, predrill screw holes, and use fresh cedar, this was a little troubling at first.  Eric's mantra, however, is "it's only a birdhouse".  Eric is also a long distance bicycle racer/rider.