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Sand Martin
(Riparia riparia)
Habitat
Ditches/Streams
Ponds
Sand Martin on the Greatham Site
Sand Martin are fairly common on site in the summer. There are plenty
of ponds and ditches on site where Sand Martin can feed on insects.
It is hoped that in the future, Sand Martin could breed on site. This
could be achieved by the construction of a Sand Martin Bank, which would
give them somewhere to nest. Sand martin banks have been used before,
with success, on other sites. There is an area on site which could accommodate
such a bank. This area is shown on the accompanying
map (PDF). The mound is adjacent to the
track, in front of the pond. It would need re-profiling.
Status in UK and Europe
Sand Martin have widespread, patchy distribution. There is currently
a decrease in population size but this tends to show periodicity.
Local Status
Sand Martin are scarce breeders locally. They are fairly common summer
and passage visitors. Numbers in the country are variable.
Objectives for Sand Martin on the Greatham Site
- Have breeding colony of Sand Martin on site in the future.
Management Plan for Sand Martin on Greatham Site
- Construction of a Sand Martin bank on site (position shown on accompanying
map (PDF)).
- Monitoring of Sand Martin after construction of bank, to assess
breeding success.
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