Sand martins

I saw on the local news Look Eastthat Norfolk County Council had put up fencong on the cliffs due to erosion. The sand martin's had come back to Bacton in Cromer & eventually the council along with the RSPB took some of the netting down.

Hopefully they will take the rest of the netting down

  • Hi Jenny, yes I saw that article too on BBC news and hope all the netting is removed; it was heart-breaking to see the sand martins desperately trying to return to their nest holes and looking so perplexed. I understand how coastal areas have to be protected from further erosion but sometimes I despair at the lack of common sense used when you can clearly see nest holes which birds return to each season.
  • I saw that Chris Packham was also backing the sand martin's.  It is on th BBC website.  

  • I always thought that Sand Martins liked to dig new nest holes out each season but using the same nesting area. I did not see the piece on the TV news but was the fence interfering with this ? Sand Martins seem to be either very late arring in our area this year or not showing ar all. We checked out what is usually very active (up to 60 nests some years) site the other day but no birds showing at all. Due to the river flooding there is always a loss of old nests holes every year but the birds seem quite happy to excavate new ones despite a lot of public activity in the area from a nearby caravan park.
  • It was a net on the face of the cliff rather than a fence, stopping the birds reaching it - and it stretched for about a mile along the coast. They do usually dig new holes, but I've certainly seen them utilising the remains of an old hole as the starting point - gives a bit of a head start I guess!
  • Hi Pete,   I think the main concern was birds getting trapped in or behind the netting so they have removed some of it on advice from RSPB but I think lower sections are still in place to prevent further erosion.   They were hoping the birds would just move further up the coast.      

  • It showed on our local news on Sat that the nets have been removed from the top 2/3rds of the cliffs by Fri evening and the sand martins have returned to their nests

  • While netting has been used for many years to prevent birds nesting (I'm not an advocate of netting, never have been nor will I be), it does seem to be on the increase, beyond reason.

    What really annoys me with society, we keep getting told that wee're not environmentally friendly, and yet, through official schemes, councils, major (and lessor) contractors, seem hell bent on stopping wildlife surviving.

    It seems to me the only concern today is build, build and more build, for housing, and that great white elephant HS2.

    Yes, along the route of HS2 Phase 1 there has been reports of netting where construction is to take place, and close to me, a large chunk of woodland has been removed for HS2 Phase 2, which hasn't yet been given the go-ahead!

    I'll get off me soapbox, but it's good to see, that after a lot of pressure (which shouldn't have been needed if Norfolk Council were environmentally orientated), the nets were removed.
  • I can see that view as well Hazel there was a local petition going around to put pressure on developers not to net but it seemed to lack support. Even though we have a lot of building work in our area I have not noticed much netting up here in the wilds of North Yorkshire.