Sand Martin

Identification
Sand Martins are usually first seen zipping around gravel pits and lakes in early March. They are fractionally smaller than a House Martin, have brown backs, white underparts with a clear brown breast band. The tail is only slightly forked. Sand Martins breed in colonies on riverbanks, sandpits and steep cliffs.

To listen to the song of the Sand Martin click here (.wav file 180Kb).

Bird song kindly supplied by Geoffrey Sample.

Status/distribution
Sand Martins have a widespread but patchy distribution over Britain and Ireland. They are absent from large areas of south and east England where chalk and limestone formations predominate. Where they do occur, colonies can be huge, often hundreds of pairs and exceptionally thousands. The Waterways Bird Survey suggests a stable population with some fluctuations. Winter rainfall in the species' sub-Saharan wintering grounds is believed to affect annual survival and thus abundance in the following breeding season. Thus they are susceptible to droughts on their wintering grounds bordering the Sahel region of Africa and their populations crashed in 1968-69 and 1983-84. Detailed information on Sand Martin population trends and breeding success is given on the Wider Countryside Report web pages.

Timing of migration
Look for Sand Martins over lakes and reservoirs from early March; they are one of the earliest summer migrants to arrive in Britain and Ireland. New birds are still arriving well in to May; it is thought that these birds arriving later are young birds that are arriving for their first breeding season.

More experienced adults tend to arrive earlier and obtain the best nest sites. Arriving early can have its downsides though - many face cold weather in late March and April and some have been found dead in their colonies after freezing weather.

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