Whilst one swallow may not a summer make, several dozen of them, hawking over the pools at Radipole this morning certainly make a great spring, even if, watching them sweeping over the water and roosting on the reed stems, chattering madly to each other, with the wind and the rain all around, you could forgive them if they turned round and headed back to Africa! Warmer days are, however, just around the corner and, in anticipation of the mass arrival of the swallow’s near cousin, construction of our artificial sand martin wall is now underway.
The first of its kind in Dorset, we hope to have the wall completed in the next 2 or 3 weeks, in time for the arrival of the bulk of these wonderful brown and white birds and, with 60 holes, they will have plenty of homes to chose from. The wall will be viewable form North Hide but we will also install remote cameras, allowing us to capture the whole amazing life story, from nest building, through egg laying and hatching right up to the first flight of the young, and we hope to be able to show these images on the television in the visitor centre so you can watch the spectacle unfold before your eye whilst you are doing the shopping!
The guys are doing a great job, in spite of the terrible weather, and, as the wall develops, we will post more pictures so you can watch the progress of this amazing addition to the Weymouth Wetlands.