Sand Martin artificial breeding sites

Why provide them? Because there are many habitats suitable for foraging Sand Martins throughout Britain that are unoccupied by them as they lack a breeding site, or that may be occupied by Sand Martins but have poor breeding sites.   Two examples of these are shown below.

Why are they needed throughout Britain? Because two to three days of constant rain in a particular area whilst young are being fed will normally lead to the loss of broods in that area other than those with the most experienced adults.

How much do they cost? The Sand Martin Trust's adviser has now tested every type of site that allows Sand Martins to perform their full breeding behaviour and has settled on two basic designs. One for annual manual maintenance and one for use in industrial environments. Deliberately, he has made our show site boxes with plywood to prove that a successful site need not be expensive, especially as the boxes are intended for areas where Sand Martins have not bred previously. However, the placing of these boxes must make them proof against ground predators and this is where your main expense will arise.

As registered charities in Scotland now have to show the difference that they are making annually, The Sand Martin Trust needs to use requests for information as an indicator of the need for our services, and so detailed information on artificial sites is provided from admin@sandmartintrust.org.uk. The Sand Martin Trust's advice is given freely to all except those who would be using its services for commercial enterprise/s. A suitable donation is required in these circumstances to protect its charitable status.

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    The image to the right shows Sand Martin nest holes easily entered by ground predators and also easily damaged by rain.

    The image below shows a site that is flooded after heavy rain and nest holes that are easily accessed by ground predators.