Gripple Flies In To Provide Nests For Threatened Bird Returners

30th April 2018

Underlining its commitment to environmental issues, Sheffield's celebrated manufacturer, Gripple has agreed for its Riverside site to provide nests for 30 sand martins returning from the Sahara which prefer to breed close to a river.

Gripple has responded to the need to replace one of the sand martin nesting sites created by Sheffield Council along the River Don, with one to be lost shortly. Apparently the first agile fliers will arrive within the next few weeks, the chicks hatching by the end of May and the families with Gripple until September. The new 'invitees' are expected to find Gripple's sand filled nests site easily as there are already a number nearby. None of them will affect the existing wildlife on the Gripple site as they prefer to take their invertebrates food on the wing over water. Gripple hopes to be included in the Council's webcam network which monitors the urban wildlife around the city, or even install its own a nest cam to observe the birds' and chicks' activities during their Gripple visit. During their breeding season and winter, the small sand martins are sociable, perching on overhead wires and branches. Over the last 50 years the birds' European population has plummeted twice due to drought in their African wintering grounds.