'Distressing incident' as vandals destroy birds nest at Northamptonshire nature reserve

Tow sand banks costing £3,000 each were bought and installed by the Wildlife Trust last year in the hope of drawing the species of bird to the Wetlands, with the banks mimicking the gravel quarries where sand martins typically nest.

Now, they have been destroyed by vandals, and on June 24, one of the banks was damaged. Panels were broken, and tubes filled with sand for the birds to nest in were thrown in the lake.

Matt Johnson conservation manager for Northamptonshire said: “This is a very distressing incident for staff at the reserve and visitors who come here to enjoy wildlife.

"Disturbing a bird nest is a wildlife crime and sets back our ambitions to create a healthy population of sand martins at the Nene Wetlands.

“As a wildlife charity we are here to create space for nature and protect species so to have to deal with criminal behaviour and harm to birds in this way is quite shocking. We hope those responsible will think very hard about what they've done and the loss of these beautiful birds to the Nene Wetlands. We will do our best to repair the bank but it will take time that we should be spending looking after the reserve.”

Sand martins migrate to the UK in spring for breeding, and while they were once scarce at the Nene Wetlands, conservationists were delighted to see they were being used by sand martins to nest for the first time last year.

The incident happened at Otter Lake at the Irthlingborough end of the nature reserve, and conservationists at the site, as well as police have appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

PC Emerson Knights, of the Rural Crime Team at Northamptonshire Police, added: “Our team is dedicated to tackling wildlife crime and take reports like this very seriously.”