Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust has created multiple new potential nesting homes for Sand Martins at Amwell Nature Reserve, near Ware, giving the bird species a much-needed opportunity to establish a new breeding colony in Hertfordshire.

The purpose-built nesting banks have been designed to mimic the steep, sandy cliffs that Sand Martins naturally dig into, creating burrows for nesting. Each bank contains specially created nesting chambers that the birds can excavate and occupy, with the potential to support generations of breeding birds as the chambers can be replenished with fresh sand each year.

Sand Martins are the smallest members of the swallow family, weighing just 13–14 grams. Recognisable by their grey-brown backs, white underparts and short, slightly forked tails, they migrate to the UK each spring from sub-Saharan Africa and can usually be seen between March and October. Although around 100,000 pairs breed across the UK, the species has experienced a worrying decline in Hertfordshire.

The 2020 Herts State of Nature Report identified the Sand Martin as a Hertfordshire Species of Conservation Concern due to its rarity and declining numbers. More recently, the Hertfordshire Bird Report 2024 highlighted a 50% decline in the species' range across the county since 1970. Today, only two known breeding colonies remain in Hertfordshire - one in a quarry near the village of Cold Christmas, about three miles to the northeast of Ware, and the other at Stanborough Gravel pits, on the outskirts of Welwyn Garden City.

Kathryn Dunnet, Reserves Officer at Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust, says:

"Sand Martins have very specific nesting requirements, needing steep, sandy banks where they can dig burrows to raise their young. These natural nesting sites are becoming increasingly scarce, so creating suitable habitat is an important step in helping the species recover locally.

"We know Sand Martins already feed over the lakes at Amwell during the summer, so we're hopeful they'll discover these new nesting banks and establish a thriving colony. If they do, it will not only benefit the species but also provide a wonderful wildlife spectacle for visitors as they watch the birds nesting and raising their young."

The project, funded by 100Green, a renewable energy supplier based in Ware, and Ware Swift Group, represents another step in the Trust's ongoing work to restore habitats and reverse wildlife declines locally, ensuring that species such as the Sand Martin have a better chance of thriving in the future.

Amy Barker, 100Green, says:

“The work that Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust have done to provide summer homes for these little birds - who clock up some serious air miles every year - is fantastic. 

We're a renewable energy supplier based in Ware, Herts and we happen to offer the only eco‑labelled energy tariff in the UK. It's been awarded this status for several sustainability reasons, one being that the wind turbines generating the energy must be located away from migrating bird routes and key biodiversity areas - even the generation of green energy needs careful planning!

That’s why we were delighted to support this project. It’s a subject close to our hearts and one that is often overlooked - people don’t usually connect wildlife, particularly birds, with renewable energy generation."

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