185. Purple Martin

This morning I had a Purple Martin (Progne subis) calling from high over the house, our latest fall record ever.  This species is a conservation success story on southern Vancouver Island.  Nowadays the twangy call of a Purple Martin high overhead is a common noise on southern Vancouver Island, but not very long ago this species had almost disappeared from British Columbia. 
Purple Martins declined in the 1940's likely due to competition for nest sites with European Starlings.  Thanks to the efforts of a group of volunteers, nesting boxes put onto pilings has increased the number of nest sites and the number of Purple Martins has gone up in the province.  It is now the second commonest swallow detected at Leaning Oaks, after Violet-green Swallows.

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