TACOMA, Wash. — The habitat for a colony of native birds has been saved in Tacoma, thanks to local conservationists. The birds are called purple martins, and they are North America’s largest swallow.
Crews from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are removing about 1,200 polluted pilings from Ruston Way that once supported a sawmill on Tacoma’s waterfront. Attached to those pilings, were wooden nest boxes and plastic gourds made by humans for the purple martins.
Purple martins migrate to the Dickman Mill Park, Titlow Beach, and Chambers Bay areas in the spring from Brazil. According to Metro Parks Tacoma, the city is home to about 16% of the state’s population of these birds.
DNR will finish removing the creosote-soaked pilings from Dickman Mill in February. Once the project is complete, conservation staff from Point Defiance Zoo will put in new 6x6 posts and reinstall the birds’ nests before they migrate back to the area.
“Purple martins are important and valued here in Tacoma and we are dedicated to monitoring and protecting them,” said zoo conservation coordinator Zach Hawn in a news release. “They are a species that restores balance to our ecosystem, and we want to continue to provide that habitat that is essential for the success of these colorful, playful birds.”
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium has been working with purple martins since it launched a community monitoring program in 2013. Volunteers are trained in how to collect data about the local birds and their behavior and are asked to monitor one of the three locations at least twice a month.
All the data is shared with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), which lists purple martins as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need because of their low population in the state and vulnerable nesting sites. The designation means human intervention is necessary for the birds to succeed.
No comprehensive population survey has been done to learn exactly how many purple martins nest in Washington, but conservationists estimate 600 adult birds migrate annually. A statewide comprehensive survey has been proposed in Washington for 2026 or 2027.
To learn how to volunteer with the community monitoring program, click here.