Sand Martin Bank at Titchmarsh Nature Reserve

A few years ago an artificial sand martin bank was built at Titchmarsh Nature Reserve. The aim was to attract a breeding group of sand martins back to the area. When it was a working gravel pit there was a small colony on site. The birds used the sand that had been exposed during the gravel extraction process. With the closure of the workings, the pits filled with water to make what is now the lovely wetland nature reserve. A previous committee member missed the sand martins and left some money to build an artificial bank. This was duly done but has never been successful. One possible reason is that the holes in the concrete blocks making up the face of the bank were made too narrow. The diameter that was drilled was the correct diameter for a natural hole but in an artificial bank the hole has to be wider to allow the bird to excavate its own tunnel in the sand. This year we have tried to open up some of the holes to make them suitable. This proved very difficult as the concrete had hardened since the bank was built. However we have managed a few holes and we shall see what happens. The photo below shows Roly Scotney drilling out one of the holes.

Titchmarsh Reserve

Last Saturday I returned to Titchmarsh to join the working party that does various management tasks around the reserve. We meet on the last Saturday of the month at 09:00, if anyone is interested in joining us. With the winter scrub bashing season over, we decided to concentrate on painting the hides with wood preservative. However, firstly I wanted to pack the holes we had drilled in the sand martin bank with sand to help attract these birds. As we approached the bank I saw a flock of about 20 sand martins wheeling around the bank and chattering excitedly. We immediately backed off to leave them to it. This was most encouraging as previously I had only seen the odd sand martin anywhere near the bank.

The rest of the morning was spent painting the Peter Scott hide and the Kirby (Northants Bird Club) hide. Whilst we were working the sound of a reeling grasshopper warbler was occasionally heard when the wind alowed it. Further down the reserve a cuckoo was calling, my first for the year. Rod Brown, one of our group, had walked up from Islip and heard a nightingale in the scrub at the south end of the reserve. I kept a look-out for a passing osprey but none appeared.

However, Paul Blackman sent me a photo of an osprey carrying a fish that he took on the reserve on the evening of the 27th.

(C) Paul Blackman 2015

Welcome!

Hello

This is the first tentative efforts to create a new site for the Northants Bird Club. The NBC is a small enthusiasts club for amateur birdwatchers, naturalists and wildlife photographers based in the rural county of Northamptonshire in middle England. We meet once a month at The Fishing Lodge, Pitsford Water, Brixworth Road, Holcot for indoor and outdoor meetings. Other activities include car trips to areas of interest in England and Wales and short trips and weeks away further afield in the UK and abroad. Members assist in national and local wildlife surveys and we enjoy presentations from amateur and professional naturalists alike.