Last week, our amazing team of staff, volunteers, and contractors came together to add a wonderful new feature to the Manx BirdLife Point of Ayre National Reserve—an artificial sand martin bank.
Stretching 10m wide by 2m tall, this new addition to the reserve is designed to mimic the natural sand banks that sand martins have relied upon for generations, providing a safe and suitable space for these small migratory birds to thrive.
Why Sand Martins?
Sand martins are the smallest of the hirundines that migrate to the UK and Isle of Man each year, and they are, in many ways, the least flashy of the bunch. With their simple brown and white plumage, they may not turn heads like their colourful cousins, but their role in the ecosystem is invaluable. These agile little birds are expert insect hunters, often seen darting over water to catch their prey. In fact, a single sand martin can catch up to 1000 insects a day—a feat that helps keep local insect populations in check.
However, these small birds face mounting challenges. Traditionally, they nested in natural sandbanks and quarries, but habitat loss due to development, erosion, and disturbance has made finding suitable nesting sites increasingly difficult. On the Isle of Man, sand martins currently nest in the working quarry near the reserve and in sand banks along the northern coast of the Island, but as the landscape evolves, these sites become less reliable. This is where the new sand martin bank at Point of Ayre comes into play.
A Home Built with Care
The new sand martin bank isn’t just a mound of sand—it’s a meticulously designed burrow system made up of four ‘cabinets’, each with a series of sand filled nesting chambers that allow the birds to excavate their own burrows, just as they would in the wild. With 48 chambers per cabinet, that is nearly 200 new burrows available this summer.
The new bank strikes a perfect balance between nature and innovation, providing the sand martins with everything they (hopefully!) need to successfully nest and breed.
Huge thanks must go to everyone who helped make this projects possible:
- Green Future Building who designed and supplied the sand martin bank
- Island Aggregates for supplying the sand
- The Co-ops Community Fund who funded the whole project
- Pete from Island Contractors who helped with installation
- And of course, our wonderful volunteers who make all of our projects like this possible.
Together, they’ve created a wonderful space that will benefit both the birds and the local community for years to come.
Looking to the Future
As we await the arrival of the sand martins, we are reminded of the importance of conservation efforts such as this. Whether it’s through volunteering, supporting wildlife initiatives, or simply being mindful of how we impact the environment, every small action counts. Protecting wildlife and their habitats is essential to maintaining the balance of our planet’s ecosystems.
Let’s hope the sand martins are as excited about their new home as we are!
