On March 22, the director of the Community Conservation Area for sand martin of China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) and a local volunteer team discovered during the inspection that the sand martin habitat in Xingyang, Xingling, Zhengzhou City, are about to fly back.

Sand martin plays an important role in the ecosystem, can effectively eliminate agricultural pests, and is a guardian of ecological security and food security.

Sand martins like to inhabit rivers on sandy cliffs. Because it is difficult to find suitable habitats, they choose sandy cliffs not far from the water source. Generally, they fly to dig holes and build nests in April each year, start to lay eggs in May, and then hatch. Generally, the birds are born by the end of May, and it takes one month to breed the chicks. By the end of June, the birds will emerge from the nests, and then they fly away.

It is important to protect the safety of the sand martins during breeding. For many years, the local volunteers of CBCGDF in Henan have faced such a situation: construction of earth digging, sand digging, covering with omentum, etc., which poses a challenge to the safe reproduction of sand martins.

In 2020, before these sand martins fly back, local volunteers have already started patrolling. The CBCGDF Community Conservation Area (CCAfa) working group will be updated in a timely manner to ensure that they are effectively protected during their reproduction.

(Photo credit: CBCGDF volunteers)