Milestone reached as 180 sand martins fledge in Worcestershire

A conservation project has reached a milestone after 180 sand martins fledged in Worcestershire.

The RSPB Worcester and Malvern Local Group has been working in collaboration with the Canal and Rivers Trust to protect green-listed small migratory birds.

To breed in Europe, sand martins travel thousands of kilometers from Africa. They often build their nests in sand cliffs, river banks or gravel pits.

(Image: RSPB Worcester)

However, in Worcestershire their nests on the banks of the River Severn are often washed away by heavy rain.

To address this, the local RSPB group installed the first secure box in 2022, where 43 chicks were born.

Since then, the region’s population has continued to grow: 78 chicks were raised and ringed in 2023, and a record 180 chicks were fledged this year.

The RSPB local group has established three sand martin colonies on the river banks in the county.

These colony boxes mimic natural riverside habitats and feature sand-filled cavities for birds to burrow into.

Simon Evans, project manager, said: “We are delighted with this year’s success.”

“A few years ago I would hardly have imagined that an idea would turn into this brilliant project.

“Not only are we seeing amazing and increasing sand martin nesting numbers here, but we are also engaging with the community to talk to them about these stunning birds.”

“It is a team effort and we would like to thank the volunteers as well as the Canal and Rivers Trust and the Worcestershire Environmental Group.”

Sand martins, the smallest member of the swallow family, arrive in March and depart in September.

When possible, fledging chicks are ringed so that they can be recorded and monitored in the future.

This year the organizations also held several activity days with school children, where they were shown bird ringing and taught about sand martin nesting.

In winter, volunteers are busy cleaning the colony boxes for the sand martins’ return in March.

If you would like to get involved or find out more, contact Simon Evans (Project Manager) at [email protected].