As part of the campaign "Sand martin – Croatian Bird of the Year 2016", WWF took about 80 school children from various Croatian counties on a field trip to the Drava River to  observe the single largest colony of sand martins in Croatia.

Back in April, WWF, together with local NGOs prepared more than 200 meters of coastline along the river Drava for the return of the sand martin and the birds settled in their newly created habitats. WWF used the opportunity for an educational field trip to raise awareness amongst school children, who had the possibility to observe the colonies and to take part in a quiz, as well as some art workshops.

Sand martins are an ambassador for a living and healthy Drava, using natural steep clay banks for breeding. In order to draw attention to the great vulnerability of the sand martin, WWF, together with several NGOs declared the bird to the “Croatian Bird of the Year 2016”. With this, the NGOs want highlight the continued loss of natural habitats along the Drava and call for the protection and restoration of habitats for the smallest member of the swallow family. On the Drava River, about 50% of the Croatian population of sand martins can be found, however, the number of pairs in the past 30 years decreased by 90%, so urgent measures for the conservation of this species and its habitat are urgently needed.

"Sand martins are under great pressure due to habitat destruction, caused by the construction of dikes and hydropower plants. In addition to preserving the existing colonies, it is necessary to restore destroyed habitats and raise public awareness of this exceptional bird. For example, a family of sand martins can eat up to 10,000 mosquitoes per day, providing a great service to people and other animals”, said Branka Španiček, Project Manager at WWF Adria.
“The children were delighted to watch the birds and they showed exceptional knowledge about the species, its life and the threats it faces. This gives us hope, that future generations will not allow the disappearance of this iconic bird from Croatia", Španiček added.

With a size of about 12 cm and weighing only 14 grams, the sand martin (Riparia riparia) is the smallest European swallow. It is a very social species, which nests in colonies. The nests are usually build in natural, steep, sandy river banks. For their preservation is necessary to stop river regulation, as this prevents the creation of natural steep banks. Furthermore, the excessive use of pesticides along the Drava needs to stop as this kills insects, which are their main food source. The wildlife photographer Goran Šafarek has filmed this remarkable on this iconic bird:

If you want to find out more about the childrens’ field trip, please click on the video below to get some more impressions: