New Artificial Nesting Bank Built for Sand Martins at Testwood Lakes

A new artificial nesting bank has been completed at Testwood Lakes Nature Reserve in Hampshire, providing additional nesting sites for sand martins. This development follows the deterioration of the reserve’s natural sandy bank, which had previously served as the main nesting habitat for the birds.

The newly constructed bank contains almost 180 individual chambers and is designed to resemble the steep sandy cliffs that sand martins typically prefer for nesting. Volunteers played a key role in the preparation process by filling each chamber with sand and sealing them with numbered wooden doors ahead of the birds’ seasonal arrival.

Testwood Lakes Nature Reserve, managed by the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, covers 55 hectares and is located in Totton, Hampshire. The reserve includes three lakes—Little Testwood Lake, Testwood Lake, and Meadow Lake—and features an artificial cliff specifically intended for sand martin breeding.

Sand martins have established a presence at Testwood Lakes for more than two decades, making it one of only three known colonies of this species in Hampshire. The site’s previous sandy bank had begun to fail, prompting the construction of the new artificial nesting structure to support the colony’s continued presence.

What the numbers show

• The new nesting bank contains nearly 180 chambers
• In the 2023-24 season, 75 sand martin burrows were occupied
• Testwood Lakes Nature Reserve spans 55 hectares

During the 2023-24 nesting season, 75 sand martin burrows at Testwood Lakes were recorded as occupied, according to the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust’s annual report. This figure reflects the ongoing use of the reserve by the species, which relies on suitable nesting sites to maintain its local population.

The artificial nesting bank was constructed to address the decline of the original sandy bank, which had become unsuitable for continued use by the birds. The design of the new structure aims to replicate natural conditions as closely as possible to encourage successful breeding.

Testwood Lakes is one of only a few locations in Hampshire where a sand martin colony is known to exist. The reserve’s management and the involvement of volunteers have contributed to maintaining suitable breeding conditions for the birds over an extended period.

The addition of the artificial nesting bank is part of ongoing efforts to support sand martin populations at the reserve. The site continues to provide managed habitats that accommodate the specific nesting preferences of this migratory bird species.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.