SALISBURY AND WILTON SWIFTS
HOUSE MARTINS
Although not closely related to swifts, house martins have similar problems - they are also declining in numbers, sometimes due to lack of nesting opportunities. A 57% decline of house martins between 1969 and 2021 means they now have a conservation status of ‘Red'. The full reasons for their decline are complex – more details on this and other information and resources can be found on the excellent House Martin Conservation website.
Our aim is to help raise the awareness of their need for our help and to encourage individuals and communities to come together to improve nesting opportunities for them.
Artificial Nest Cups
Providing artificial nest cups can encourage house martins to nest around your eaves. These can be added to existing nests on a building or placed in the near vicinity of a colony.
We are happy to advise and fit artificial nest cups on suitable buildings in the Salisbury area. To see if your building is suitable take a look at this webpage
https://housemartinconservation.com/artificial-nests
Unlike swifts, there is an issue with droppings from house martin nests. However, they are easily removed with a hosepipe or brush. Flower pots can be placed on the ground beneath the nests or a board can be fixed to the wall. The correct positioning of a droppings board is at least 2m below the nest cups.
At present we are only fitting artificial nest cups within or very close to existing colonies of house martins. Get in touch via our Contact Us page if you would like to help house martins in any way.
More Information on House Martins
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/house-martin/
https://www.bto.org/understanding-birds/species-focus/house-martin
