I saw Russ Namitz's post on the Purple Martins (PUMA) in Coos so I thought
I'd give a quick history.
In 1998 Eric Horvath did a survey around Coos Bay- no PUMA. I had never
seen any in the county at that point. He gave me three of his starling
proof nest boxes which I put up on pilings in the bay- bingo, nesting birds
the first year. Since then we have had up up to 50 boxes around the bay
including at South Slough where they adopted the nest box strategy. In
addition, Joe Metzler put up boxes in Coquille at Johnson Mill Pond, there
are now 20 or so. Nowadays we have PUMA all around Coos Bay- I hear them
early every morning over the house. However, it took several years for
them to move east out into the private clearcut land and start nesting in
clearcuts with snags. I found a BLM clearcut with martins back in about
1998 but they have done no clearcutting since then so the habitat is now
all on private. Birds abandon these clearcuts after just a few years, as
soon as the trees start to get thick below. Anyhow, it use to be a very
rare sighting to see or hear them inland in Coos but now if you are out
early, you can hear them in Fairview and several other valley areas and
even up on the ridges, I believe the nest box program is responsible for
this increase in umbers inland.
In Curry County, BLM only has scattered land all within just a few miles of
the ocean. I have spent a lot of time down there and I almost always hear
PUMA wherever I am at in Curry. It has been that way for years. Yesterday
I was up Hunter Creek about 7 miles from the ocean around 1800' elevation
and they were flying all around Hunter Creek Bog. Anyhow, there seems to
be more private clearcuts with snags down there and I have seen many a PUMA
nesting. As these private lands get harvested a third and fourth time
though I suspect snags will become more and more scarce, so it may be that
they will become rare again some day. BLM and USFS may get back into the
clearcut business a bit in the future, but most of the open clearcuts will
continue to be on private I believe, and that is prime PUMA habitat if
snags are left. I have seen them even using big madrone snags for nest
(once in Coos).
Anyhow, since the snag habitat is becoming more and more rare, nest boxes
will likely be needed into the future. I think it would be a great project
for local Audubon's to be involved with at whatever level they can, kind of
like the bluebird box program.
Major kudos to Joe Metzler here in Coos Bay who is the nest box king, he
has not only PUMA boxes here and there, but a plethora of swallow, wood
duck, etc. boxes all over the place and he cleans them all every year!
Fantabulous work Joe!!!!!!
Merry Summertime all,
Tim R
Coos Bay
