House martin artificial nests scheme set to expand

Up to 900 artificial nest "cups" for threatened house martins are set to be installed in Hampshire as part of a conservation project.

The birds migrate from Africa each spring and are on the UK's Red List of endangered bird species. They are thought to have suffered from a lack of wet mud to build nests during the extreme heat in the summer.

Following a pilot project, The Hampshire House Martins Project is offering free cups which save the birds time and energy compared to building their own mud nests.

Project co-ordinator Nigel Matthews encouraged residents, schools and businesses to apply for the free artificial nests "to give these remarkable birds a safe place to raise their young".

Between 1995 and 2024, the UK House Martin population fell by 40%, partly due to poor breeding success.

The birds build distinctive cup-shaped nests beneath the roofs of houses and other buildings, carrying around 1,000 pellets of soft mud to complete each one.

Each April and May, house martins return from Africa to spend the summer in the UK.

The birds often form colonies with several nests in close proximity.

The decline in numbers has been blamed on a fall in quantities of insects, as well as hotter, drier weather - as seen during the summer of 2026 - resulting in less wet mud available for nest building.

Modern homes tending to have uPVC soffits also makes it difficult for mud nests to adhere.

Last year the Hampshire Ornithological Society initiative launched a survey, allowing members of the public to record house martin nest locations.

The group is now looking for additional properties where artificial nests will be provided and fitted free of charge - thought to be the biggest such project in the country.

During the project's pilot, 249 artificial nest cups were installed on buildings close to known nesting sites across northern and eastern Hampshire.

Twenty seven were used by house martins this summer, more than the project team had expected.

Keith Betton, chair of Hampshire Ornithological Society, said: "The response to the first pilot stage of this project showed how strongly people across Hampshire want to help house martins.

"This next phase turns what we have learnt into action by offering hundreds more safe, ready-made nests.

"It gives homeowners, schools and businesses a simple, practical way to support the recovery of this threatened bird."

To quality for a cup, which are provided and installed for free, properties must be within 1km (0.6 miles) of a previously recorded house martin nest.

Host buildings must have suitable overhanging eaves at second story level, between four and seven metres from the ground.

Applications for the nest cups can be made on the Hampshire House Martins Project website.

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