Wall Watchers: Sand Martin survey
May 22 @ 8:00 am – 9:00 am
Help us keep track of Ouseburn’s Sand Martins
The Lower Ouseburn Valley is home to Newcastle’s only urban Sand Martin colony! These small, agile birds have been here since at least 1952, though they haven’t been recorded every year. In 2023, they made themselves at home and began nesting in the sandstone wall between The Free Trade Inn and The Cycle Hub.
The Ouseburn Sand Martin colony has returned from West Africa to spend another summer with us, so it’s time for some Wall Watching!
Wall Watchers spend an hour keeping watch of designated holes – this helps to track which holes are occupied, how many birds are present, and monitor the success of their fledgelings throughout the season. This information helps us monitor an the growth of the Ouseburn colony, and contributes to national data on Sand Martins.
Everyone is welcome + no experience is needed – you’ll be shown how to spot the birds and record your sightings. If you have binoculars, bring them with you, otherwise we’ll have some to use. You might like to bring a camping chair, a drink and a snack to make a morning of it
Come along, meet some lovely people, and help us keep tabs on one of Ouseburn’s most charming little residents!
Did you know: To help support the growth of the colony, a Wild Ouseburn community crowdfunder was launched in 2024 to fund the installation of an artificial Sand Martin nest bank on Northumbrian Water land at the mouth of the burn in spring 2025. You can find out more about that here.
WHEN + WHERE TO MEET
Meet outside The Cycle Hub (at the back of the building) 10 minutes before the start time for an introduction + to be shown your survey holes! What3Words ///nest.path.stump. If the weather forecast is strong winds and heavy rain, the survey might be cancelled. If it is, this page will be edited to let you know it’s not going ahead.
