A conservation project has reached a milestone after 180 sand martins fledged in Worcestershire.
The RSPB Worcester and Malvern Local Group, in partnership with the Canal and Rivers Trust, have been working to protect the green-listed, small migratory birds.
The sand martins travel thousands of miles from Africa to breed in Europe, often creating their nests by burrowing in sandy cliffs, riverbanks, or gravel pits.
However, in Worcestershire, their nests on the banks of the River Severn are often washed away by heavy rain.
To combat this, the RSPB local group installed the first secure box in 2022, which fledged 43 chicks.
Since then, the population in the area has continued to grow, with 78 chicks raised and ringed in 2023, and a record-breaking 180 chicks fledged this year.
The RSPB local group has installed three sand martin colony boxes in the county on the river banks.
These colony boxes mimic natural riverbank habitats and have sand-filled cavities which birds can burrow in.
Simon Evans, project leader, said: "We are thrilled with this year’s success.
"Little did I think, a few years ago, that an idea would transform into this brilliant project.
"We’re not only seeing amazing and rising breeding numbers for sand martins here, but we are connecting with the community to talk to them about these stunning birds."
"It is a team effort, and we give a massive thanks to the volunteers and the Canal and Rivers Trust and the Worcestershire Environmental Group."
The sand martins, the smallest member of the swallow family, arrive in March and leave in September.
Where possible, fledging chicks are ringed so they can be recorded and monitored in the future.
This year, the organisations has also held a number of activity days with school children where they were shown bird ringing and taught all about nesting sand martins.
Over the winter, volunteers will be busy cleaning the colony boxes ready for March when the sand martins return.
If you would like to get involved or learn more, contact Simon Evans (project leader) at sjandjw@gmail.com.
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