About the event

House Martins used to be a regular sight in urban areas. They collected mud from ponds and soggy patches, created mud nests under house eaves and repaid the free rental space by controlling insects around the town.

Changes to house construction, reduction in insect populations and reduced numbers of urban ponds with available mud have all contributed to a massive decline in numbers.

Barbara Polonara from House Martin Conservation of UK and Ireland (and a BBOWT staff member) will introduce you to the life cycle of this  delightful red list species and explain how you can help in their survival, including introducing you to a new mapping tool to record  numbers of nest sites.

This talk is part of the Reading Climate Festival and free of charge but, if you enjoy this talk, please consider making a donation to BBOWT's Nature Recovery Fund or to House Martin conservation (you can also visit this page to learn more about House Martins).