In spring 2023 a small Sand Martin colony (Riparia riparia) unexpectedly arrived to establish nests in a post-industrial sandstone wall, where the River Tyne joins the Ouse Burn in central Newcastle.
This was the first documented breeding attempt of Sand Martin in Newcastle City Centre.
In 2024, the Sand Martins returned and successfully reared chicks in crevices within the wall, bringing delight to visitors and residents along the Quayside and Ouseburn who watched their captivating flights and tender family moments from the footpath.
During the 2024 breeding season, members of the public and local residents joined together to help undertake a nest survey. Nine active nests were identified, many with chicks poking their faces out from their River Tyne-facing nurseries!
Image: Sand Martin chick waiting for food in sandstone w perching on the sandstone wall, while a hungry chick waits for food inside the nest hole.
As part of the Wild Ouseburn project, we are looking to safeguard the future of our urban Sand Martins, and enable it to expand. This can be achieved through the provision of artificial nesting opportunities in the Lower Ouseburn Valley, which will provide much-needed, designated nesting habitat for Sand Martins. Additionally, this project will give local residents, businesses and visitors to the area direct access to nature, and a captivating welcome to Ouseburn and the Newcastle Quayside.
The project is voluntarily managed by Wild Intrigue CIC, with permissions already gained by the landowner for the installation of a new artificial Sand Martin bank at the mouth of the Ouse Burn.
To help safeguard this colony's future, we require £6000 to purchase:
Artificial Sand Martin Bank by Green Future Building Ltd
Including delivery and installation.
Featuring 48 nesting chambers and a green roof.
A solar powered Sand Martin call system to attract prospecting birds.
Locked, rear access to enable licensed ringing and monitoring by Northumbrian Ringing Group, along with winter cleaning and maintenance.
Signage
Offering inclusive, accessible education and insights on Sand Martins, their urban ecology and the function of the artificial bank.
In Kind support
Wild Intrigue CIC will host free, accessible community Sand Martin events, surveys and outreach on a voluntary basis throughout (at least) 2025, and will continue to maintain the nest bank into the future. This is also a voluntarily managed project, so every penny will go toward the practical installation of the Sand Martin Bank and signage.
Image: Local residents gathered to survey the Sand Martins as part of the Wild Ouseburn project.
The Sand Martin (Riparia riparia), a long-distance migratory bird, travels over 4,000 km from its wintering grounds in sub-Saharan Africa to breed in the UK during the summer months (BTO).
These agile birds are among the first summer migrants to return to the UK each year, arriving as early as March, and among the first to depart in September. Sand Martins are closely associated with riparian habitats, requiring vertical banks of sand to create their nest burrows, and a diverse range of aquatic insects to feed on. Traditionally, these birds have nested along riverbanks and sea cliffs, but they have also adapted to breed in other sandy areas, such as construction sites, quarries, and even man-made structures like drainage pipes.
However, due to the channelisation and modern engineering of waterways, natural nesting opportunities for Sand Martins have become increasingly limited. To address this, artificial Sand Banks have been successfully implemented on nature reserves and in urban locations, providing suitable nesting sites for this species.
Image: Sand Martins in flight around sandstone wall
If you would like to support the project by sponsoring a nest hole in the new Sand Martin bank, take your pick of the available holes in the image below! As the sole sponsor of the nest hole you will receive an annual update on the breeding success of any Sand Martins which are nesting in the hole*, including photographs, as well as and overview of the Ouseburn colony!
You can sponsor a hole in your own name, the name of your organisation, or as a gift for someone else (a perfect pressie for a wildlife lover!) Whichever name you choose to sponsor the hole will appear on a certificate, which we will send to you via email.
*It may take a little time for Sand Martins to find your nest hole - your incredible support will make sure that there is nesting opportunity for them when the colony grows.
Image: Digital illustration of Sand Martin nesting bank and numbered holes. Let us know which number you would like to sponsor when picking this reward, along with the sponsor's name, and you/ they will be the sole supporter. Red holes are already taken! Illustration by Hazel Storm.
By protecting and growing the Ouseburn Sand Martin colony, local residents and visitors to central Newcastle have a new opportunity to immerse themselves in a natural wonder. A migrant species, the Sand Martin also represents the interconnectedness of the natural environment locally and globally, and the fragility of living systems in the current changing climate. We anticipate wider discussions around these topics to follow from engagement in the Sand Martins, benefitting the wider ecosystem upon which the colony depends, and the role local individuals have within this.
