Sand Martins (Riparia Riparia) are migratory birds and the smallest member of the European hirundine family, which also includes Swallows and House Martins. They come to Ireland all the way from sub-Saharan Africa, to breed from mid-March to September.
They feed on flying insects, mostly over wetlands. They are colonial nesters and normally breed in burrows dug into coastal cliff faces, riverbanks, peat banks or quarries.
Sand Martins are on the amber-list of birds of Conservation Concern in Ireland. Providing secure nest sites in purpose-built Sand Martin nesting walls has proven to help with the conservation of this important bird species and as an effective educational tool to inspire the protection of these beautiful birds.
Caroll Joinery kindly donated funds to Wildacres which have been used to purchase materials for the creation of the Sand Martin nesting bank.
Construction began in the very wet and windy period over late January to early March 2026.
Early phase of the Sand martin Nesting Bank construction
Challenging weather conditions didn’t dampen the enthusaiam of our volunteers to get the job done!
Using the plans from the Cork Birdwatch Ireland version as a rough template, which we adjusted to suit Wildacres, the overall construction includes 48 nesting boxes, connected via pipes and filled with sand. Many volunteer hours went into the project, and as we neared the final stages the sun finally appeared.
The 48 nest boxes were all made by hand.
The sun finally came out in early March. The project was nearing completion
There was a final flurry to install cameras – just in the nick of time before the migrating sand martins arrived. After a good few inspections by the birds, we are delighted to report that more than 10 boxes appear to have nesting birds in the first year (2026). Now that the nesting bank is established, we expect this to increase in the coming years.
The completed structure with cameras installed
The Sand martins checking out the tunnels
So, a big thank you to Carroll Joinery for their generous sponsorship – as you can see it has already had a positive impact for biodiversity!
