Two educational signs at Nojoqui Falls County Park spotlight one of the region’s most remarkable and vulnerable bird species — the purple martin.

The signs have been installed by the Santa Barbara Audubon Society (SBAS), in partnership with Santa Barbara County Parks.

The signage represents a milestone in SBAS’s long-term effort to raise awareness about the local purple martin population, which now relies almost entirely on the Nojoqui Falls area for breeding, organizers said.

This small colony is the only known breeding population remaining in Santa Barbara County, making its protection especially urgent, according to SBAS.

Purple martins, the largest members of the swallow family, were once more common in the region but have experienced significant declines over the past several decades due to habitat loss, competition for nesting sites, and environmental pressures.

Unlike their eastern counterparts, which readily nest in human-made birdhouses, western purple martins depend on natural cavities in mature trees for nesting, with a particular penchant in the local population for western sycamores.

The new bilingual (English/Spanish) signs provide park visitors with accessible information about the species’ behavior, migration, and conservation needs. They highlight key facts, including:

• The species’ reliance on mature sycamore trees for nesting.
• Their annual migration between Santa Barbara County and South America.
• Their role as aerial insect hunters.
• When and where visitors can observe them in the park.

The project was developed by SBAS’s conservation and science committee in collaboration with Santa Barbara County Parks and local artist Sabina Funk

Funding for the signage was provided through a Conservation, Environment, and Public Trails grant from the Santa Barbara Foundation.

SBAS volunteers have monitored purple martin nesting activity in the area for over a decade, documenting a troubling decline in nesting success. In recent years, only a handful of successful nests have been recorded annually, underscoring the urgency of conservation efforts. 

“We found that visitors to Nojoqui Falls Park were generally not aware of this strikingly beautiful bird because it spends virtually all its time high up in the sky above the park and surrounding area,” said Adrian O’Loghlen, SBAS conservation and science committee member.

“This species is in serious decline throughout the state and in the local area and if we were to try to halt or even reverse this local decline, a key factor would be public awareness,” O’Loghlen said. “So we approached the county Parks Department about the need to educate visitors about the martins and suggested installing informative signs.

“Their response was very positive and they offered to assist with this project by installing the signs.” 

By increasing public awareness, SBAS hopes the signage will help build support for habitat protection and long-term conservation strategies to ensure the survival of this unique local population.

For more about the Santa Barbara Audubon Society and its conservation work, visit santabarbaraaudubon.org.