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How to attract house martins
You may be lucky and have house martins nesting on your house already. If not, you can try to attract them by making your own artificial house martin nest. These pages explain how.
House martins need three things to breed successfully; a good place to build a nest, the right materials to build it with, and plenty of food for hungry chicks.
House martins only eat insects they catch on the wing, so you cannot attract them by putting food out for them in the same way as you would attract other birds. But, because their nests are made almost solely from mud, a nice muddy pool or puddle may attract them to build near you, especially during a dry spell.
Another way to encourage them is to put up house martin nest boxes (nest cups). You can buy these ready made through RSPB shops and many bird food suppliers and garden centres, or you can make your own. Nest cups don't guarantee that martins will nest, at least in the first year, but since house martins nest in colonies, the presence of a nest may encourage other birds to build their own alongside.
Find out how to make your own house martin nestbox with our simple steps. More... |  |
Advice on how to deal with a build up of house martin droppings and parasites left in house martin nests. More... |  |
It is important to let the birds nest in peace. House martins are fully protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it an offence to kill, injure or take an adult bird, or to take, damage or destroy the eggs, young or nest of a house martin whilst it is being built or in use. More... |  |