Sand martins would sometimes nest on Texel, but it wasn't consistent. There used to be a large colony of around 100 pairs in the 'tuinwallen' (garden walls) on the Hoge Berg. They were also nesting in Dijkmanshuizen and in the vicinity of the Schans and Ceres. Because sand martins often made their nests in old dikes or tuinwallen, they were called 'dike martins' on Texel. In 1994, nests were found in a ground depot in the harbor of Oudeschild. There is now a cement wall in a part of the old sea dike by Minkewaal, specifically designed for sand martins. In 2010, there were at least 11 pairs.