Dozens of birds have returned to a nature reserve after a 4,000km migration from Africa.

Sand martins have been building nests in the banks at the Arundel Wetland Centre, run by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.

The birds have been returning each spring since 2017 to raise young in the nesting banks built directly into the wildlife hide.

Every spring, sand martins move through the nature reserve, returning from winter homes in Africa and Europe as part of mixed flocks with house martins and swallows.

More and more martins have been remaining at Arundel each spring to nest in the specialised hide with its two artificial nest banks of pre-drilled nest holes. Visitors can watch the sand martins from the unique viewing hide nestled between the two banks.

A record 38 nests were found in the sand martin hide nesting banks after the martins migrated last autumn. The size of the colony has almost doubled every year - with two pairs of birds in 2017, three nests in 2019, seven nests in 2020 and 15 nests in 2021.

Reserve manager Suzi Lanaway said: “In 2022 we had 24 chambers used across both banks of the entire hide with five of those nest chambers used every year for the past three years.”

The colony will continue to grow. Young sand martins will generally return to the colony they were hatched in, only moving on when there are no more nesting sites left.

There is plenty of space at the nature reserve with 290 nesting holes in both banks of the hide.

The Sir Peter Scott Centenary Sand Martin hide opened in April 2010 and attracted its first sand martins in April 2011 when two pairs began nest building but they abandoned it after a few weeks.

If you would like to see the sand martins, WWT Arundel Wetland Centre is open seven days a week from 10am to 4.30pm this spring.

Visitors could see nesting lapwings, oystercatchers and kingfishers among other wildlife.