Through the binoculars: Sand Martins at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is home to one of London’s breeding populations of sand martins, a migratory bird that relies on suitable nesting habitats to successfully raise its young. Working alongside the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), idverde supported habitat improvements designed to encourage the species to thrive within the park.

The project focused on upgrading one of the purpose-built sand martin nesting banks originally installed after the London 2012 Olympic Games. Existing nesting chambers were adapted by shortening entrance tubes that had previously made the nests unsuitable for breeding. The chambers were then filled with unwashed sand, recreating the natural nesting conditions required by the birds.

The sand used during the restoration was generously supplied by CEMEX through its partnership with the RSPB, demonstrating the value of collaboration between environmental organisations and industry partners.

According to Tom Bellamy, Biodiversity Manager at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the improvements are expected to provide new breeding opportunities and contribute to increasing the local sand martin population. Similar enhancement works are planned for the park’s North Park to further strengthen habitat availability across the site.

The project forms part of idverde’s ongoing commitment to biodiversity enhancement and illustrates how practical ecological interventions can deliver measurable benefits for protected species within urban environments.