New home for sand martins in Mayo county town

CASTLEBAR hopes to see some new feathered residents next spring, with the construction of a new nesting wall for sand martins.

Castlebar Tidy Towns, with the support of Mayo County Council and Swift Conservation Ireland, successfully applied to the Climate Action Fund to build a dedicated sand martin nesting wall along the river.

Come next spring, it's hoped the birds will take up residence in the wall.

It's a great addition to Castlebar Tidy Towns' campaign which will hopefully add valuable points in the nature category of the national Tidy Towns competition.

Sand martins are the smallest members of the European hirundine family (which includes swallows and house martins). These migratory birds arrive from sub-Saharan Africa every March to breed, feeding on flying insects over local wetlands.

They are currently amber-listed in Ireland as a species of conservation concern, and providing these secure, purpose-built nesting walls is vital for their survival.