After much waiting and failed photographs I managed to catch one sand martin on film as it came into the 5th hole from the left on the bottom of the Eel Pie Island sand martin bank this morning as final proof that it is being used. I did see several other holes (3 others) being used but you have to be quick with a camera to get them on film. Francesca Morrison and I also were lucky enough to be treated by Rob and Felicity Shepherd to go out and take a look from their boat last night and we all spotted a handful of sand martins after much perseverance. If you do go by boat you have to stay far away or else the sand martins don’t seem to come in or out of the nests so going to the Ham towpath to watch them is really almost as good, albeit not as nice as being on a boat!

Here is the best image I managed to get (several others are blurry and hard to see) as one comes into land.

The web camera is being sorted and should be set up shortly we are told. You can see the external camera clearly on the left of the photograph so when it is working it is well positioned for some of the occupied holes.

Ken