Five baby sand martins have successfully fledged from a specially-designed nest bank in the heart of Newcastle.
Part of the Wild Ouseburn initiative, Northumbrian Water worked with Wild Intrigue to install the structure last year, funded through a community crowdfunding campaign and support from Northumberland & Tyneside Bird Club, after the birds were first spotted in the area in 2023.
Earlier this year, following observations from other urban colonies, some slight improvements were made to the nesting chambers ahead of the birds' return in spring.
Shortly afterwards, the first pair of sand martins took up residence and successfully raised five chicks.
The youngsters have now been ringed by a licensed expert from Northumbria Ringing Group, helping researchers learn more about the birds as they make their incredible 4,000km migration between the North East and Africa each year.
Ian Cole, Conservationist at Northumbrian Water, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to welcome the first chicks to the nesting bank.
“This partnership project is a great example of how organisations, communities and wildlife experts can work together to help nature thrive.
“Seeing five young birds successfully raised and take flight is a brilliant result and we’re excited to see the colony grow in future.”
Cain Scrimgeour, Co-Director of Wild Intrigue, said: “Our cities are full of urban wildlife and projects like this show that through collaboration, community support and a little bit of vision, we can make real impacts for our wild neighbours. The Ouseburn Sand Martin colony is now a new wild spectacle right in the heart of the city.
“This year, the Ouseburn Sand Martin colony is the largest we’ve seen it since the birds arrived in 2023. They can also be spotted feeding on insects over the recently created City Stadium Wildflowers Meadows.”
The Ouseburn sand martin bank will continue to be monitored and maintained as part of the Wild Ouseburn initiative.
The installation of the nesting bank forms part of Northumbrian Water's five-year migratory birds programme, which is creating new nesting opportunities for species including swifts, swallows and sand martins across the region.