Sand martins mob WWT Arundel nesting bank in September
Hundreds of sand martins swooped along the Sand martin hide and over the waters of WWT Arundel during stopovers on their migration this autumn. The birds hovered in front of nesting holes and entered several of the sand filled slots in the artificial hide. The wetland centre played the sounds of a sand martin colony through external speakers that has attracted the mob, some of who roosted overnight in the nest holes during this stopover on the long trip back to Africa. During the Autumn migration young martins from larger colonies often scout for locations they can revisit to nest in spring.
During 2011 autumn migration some sand martins did check out the hide but not in these numbers and none roosted in the hide overnight. This year sand martins have been roosting here over night and as the migration numbers build, the amount of sand martins investigating the artificial nesting bank has boomed.
In Spring 2012 we had 2 pairs of sand martin come into the nesting bank at end of May but they did not stay and nest. In 2011 we had two pair start nesting at Easter but they abandoned the nests, likely because sand martins are social birds and like the security of a colony around them.
The bird hide and artificial nesting bank opened in 2010. The building incorporates a bird hide between two artificial nesting banks. The banks angle out from the centre, allowing visitors incredibly close views of sand martins swooping by. The Sand Martin hide is rendered inside and out to resemble natural sand banks, complete with hanging roots with a bumpy, tactile finish. There are viewing windows at various heights and the hide has full disabled access. Inside is model of a nesting sand martin ‘family’. Interactive signage outside gives tips to visitors on how to distinguish sand martins from other common British birds.
