The Hampshire House Martins Project and the Hampshire Ornithological Society plan to deploy up to 900 artificial nests following a promising pilot program. During that initial trial, 27 of 249 installed nests were occupied by birds, surpassing the organizers' expectations. The ready-made cups save returning birds from gathering roughly 1,000 mud pellets per nest, which has become increasingly difficult during hot, dry summers.
Key points
Modern building features like uPVC soffits and climate-driven mud shortages are actively…: Modern building features like uPVC soffits and climate-driven mud shortages are actively threatening house martin nesting success.
Residents, schools, and businesses can receive free artificial nests if their buildings m…: Residents, schools, and businesses can receive free artificial nests if their buildings meet specific height and location requirements.
Qualifying structures must sit within one kilometer of recorded nests and provide second-…: Qualifying structures must sit within one kilometer of recorded nests and provide second-story eaves four to seven meters high.
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Up to 900 artificial nest "cups" for threatened house martins are set to be installed in Hampshire as part of a conservation project.
The birds migrate from Africa each spring and are on the UK's Red List of endangered bird species. They are thought to have suffered from a lack of wet mud to build nests during the extreme heat in the summer.
Following a pilot project, The Hampshire House Martins Project is offering free cups which save the birds time and energy compared to building their own mud nests.
Project co-ordinator Nigel Matthews encouraged residents, schools and businesses to apply for the free artificial nests "to give these remarkable birds a safe place to raise their young".
Between 1995 and 2024, the UK House Martin population fell by 40%, partly due to poor breeding success.
The birds build distinctive cup-shaped nests beneath the roofs of houses and other buildings, carrying around 1,000 pellets of soft mud to complete each one.
Each April and May, house martins return from Africa to spend the summer in the UK.
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