Last winter, we told you about plans to improve habitat for a special species of bird at the Port of Vancouver USA mitigation bank – the purple martin. This spring, the port’s Environmental Services team completed its project, adding 24 purple-martin-specific gourds that will help the protected birds flourish here in Vancouver, Washington.

The purple martin is the largest North American swallow. Wintering in South America, purple martins migrate to North America in spring to breed. The species suffered a severe population crash in the 20th century widely linked to the release and spread of European starlings in North America. Starlings and house sparrows compete with martins for nesting sites. Where purple martins once gathered by the thousands, by the 1980s they had all but disappeared.

Environmental Services team members Matt Harding and Matt Graves, in partnership with a retired US Fish and Wildlife Service biologist and a volunteer bird expert with the Friends of Stiegerwald Wildlife Refuge, did extensive research on purple martin habitat. With this information, they then determined the best locations to ensure purple martins would be able to nest successfully in the area. Port staff installed these additional gourds earlier this spring.

Over the upcoming nesting seasons, our environmental team and partners will monitor the newly installed habitat to ensure the gourds are actively used by purple martins.

The port is home to many unique species of wildlife. We’re proud of our robust environmental practices, and our dedicated staff who work hard to ensure all species continue to thrive here in Southwest Washington.