The HOS Scientific Committee has reviewed its Survey Strategy which can be read here.
Breeding season records – including breeding evidence – is welcome for Nightingale, Turtle Dove, Cetti’s Warbler, Water Rail, Firecrest and any species that fall under the remit of the Rare Breeding Birds Panel.
Hampshire House Martins
Progress to date
During 2025, HOS started a project to find out where House Martins are breeding in Hampshire, estimate how many there are and provide artificial nest cups to boost breeding success.
House Martins were put on the Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern in 2021 following a 72% decline in the UK population over the last 50 years. We think the population in Hampshire has also shrunk but need to gather data to confirm this.
The Hampshire House Martins website was set up to collate nest site records from HOS members and the general public and manage the nest cup scheme.
Also, in 2025, HOS volunteers followed up over 200 reports and collected further information about the sites, nests and nearby habitats. Analyses showed that House Martins had a strong preference for buildings with wooden soffits/fascias (over UPVC), presumably because their mud nests stick more strongly to the rougher wood texture. They also preferred locations close to livestock and freshwater habitats – here it’s probably easier for the birds to find insects to eat and soft mud for making nests.
Please use the Hampshire House Martins website to report nest sites during 2026. You can also see a map of sites reported in both 2025 and 2026.
With funding from South East Water, and in partnership with Hampshire Swifts, we provided 149 artificial nest cups to extend existing colonies in a pilot area within Hampshire. Of these, 27 were used in 2026 – a good result.
Future Plans
From October 2026, we will again be offering free artificial nest cups – funded through several grants and donations. This time requests can be made throughout Hampshire and we hope to fit about 900 in time for the 2027 breeding season.
In 2027, by running a structured survey of a sample of 1km squares across Hampshire, we plan to calculate the current House Martin breeding population. This survey will use data collected in 2025 and 2026 to ensure we survey a representative sample of squares across the county.
If you are interested in helping with this project, please contact us.
Nigel Matthews and Helen Schneider (admin@hampshirehousemartins.org.uk)