Sand martins are frequent summer visitors to WWT London Wetland Centre and this year have returned from Africa to in higher numbers than ever before.
Travelling an astonishing 2,500 miles to get here from their wintering grounds in the Sahel in Africa, the sand martins are now nesting in the artificial nest bank and have already occupied 88 burrows.
This year has been the best year ever for sand martins on the reserve, with fluctuations in numbers since its completion in 2003 having recorded as little as 20 pairs nesting back in 2015.
A combination of factors can effect breeding success including loss of natural river banks and cliffs within the city, coupled with drought conditions and therefore food shortages in the Sahel. However, man-made burrows and artificial nesting banks such as the one at London Wetland Centre are providing essential habitats for these summer migrants.
‘We are very excited to see the continued increase in breeding that began again in 2016 after several years of reduced nesting,” said Adam Salmon, Reserve Manager. “Now 88 nesting chambers in our artificial bank are filled! Let’s hope that this positive trend carries on for years to come.”
WWT London Wetland Centre remains an important site for breeding sand martins and is a key feeding site for several more species during their spring migration. The sand martin nest bank can be visited this summer where you can get a ‘behind the scenes’ look via the CCTV cameras installed in their nests.
WWT London Wetland Centre is a 105 acre wetland visitor centre in Barnes, southwest London, an international award-winning visitor attraction and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It is home to a wide range of wildlife species including birds, water voles, bats and amphibians.
For more information on visiting go to www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/london/
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