Fersiwn Gymraeg ar gael yma
by Julian HughesHead of Species, RSPB Cymru
Today is World Curlew Day, the date chosen by Curlew Action because it is the feast day of St Beuno, a seventh-century Welsh missionary. The legend is that on a boat from Pen Llŷn to Anglesey, his book of sermons fell overboard but was retrieved by a brown bird with a long, curved bill. St Beuno decreed that Curlew nests would always be difficult to find and should be protected for ever. Everyone involved with trying to save Curlews can confirm that their nests are, indeed, difficult to spot – but protecting them takes more than divine intervention alone.
Why are Curlews in trouble?
The need is urgent for a bird that is at risk of extinction as a viable Welsh breeding bird in just 10 years. In the 25 years to 2020, their numbers had fallen by 73%, with no sign of the decline slowing. I really can’t comprehend the idea of going onto the moors in North Wales and not hearing the long cry or bubbling call of the Curlew. But in the last two human generations, most of us have lost that experience close to home.
We largely know what Curlews need to ensure that each pair can rear one chick to the flying stage every two years. The pair need somewhere to nest with a mix of sparse and long vegetation, and suitable fields nearby to feed themselves and their chicks. Historic drainage of bogs and fields, changes in grazing by livestock (both increased and reduced grazing, in different places), the loss of meadows and huge increase in silage grown to feed livestock, and the planting of large blocks of forestry has altered the structure of the Welsh landscape. That has also tipped the balance in favour of predators such as Foxes and Carrion Crows, which have a greater abundance of food than previously. Add in the changing climate, and you appreciate why Curlews have a tough time.
It takes a village to raise a Curlew
Thankfully, Curlews have friends and champions. Several initiatives are underway, stimulated by a partnership of organisations working together as . The Wales Recovery Plan, which has received all-party support in the Senedd, identifies 12 Important Curlew Areas and the ambition is to have dedicated recovery programmes in each. On the Powys/Shropshire border, the Curlew Country project has been running for several years, and we have been supporting the Elan Valley Trust to protect Curlews in the Elenydd.
On Anglesey, RSPB Cymru is working with farmers in the Cefni Valley to improve nest protection for Curlews, and in the upper Conwy, we have a recovery project in Hiraethog and Ysbyty Ifan, which is one of five landscape projects in the UK. You can read more of this project on the Curlew LIFE website, about how we are working with farmers, estate owners, National Trust, Natural Resources Wales and others to help the birds. Over the last three winters, huge efforts by the project team and partners have gone into peatland restoration and field management, new fences to keep out large mammals, and control of Foxes and Carrion Crows. This spring we’ll deploy temporary electric fences to protect nests and radio-tag chicks to understand more about how they use the landscape and what affects their survival. Our 30-strong team of volunteers, most of whom live or work within the project area, are already well into the survey season, identifying territories so that we can safeguard their nests. We have learned much in the first two years and are heading in the right direction towards that magic number of one fledged chick per pair every two years.
We very much hope that funding will enable recovery effort to be stepped up in more Important Curlew Areas in the coming years, which would be emergency interventions. Critical to saving the birds, but not a sustainable, long-term solution. The Wales Curlew Recovery Plan identifies major land-use policies, including Welsh Government’s Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) and woodland planting schemes that must be made Curlew-friendly. We believe that the SFS should encourage collaborative action by farmers, supported both financially and through knowledge-exchange, to deliver targeted interventions for Curlews. It must also ensure that farmers are not asked to take action that is detrimental to Curlews, including flexibility around the proposed requirement for 10% tree cover in Important Curlew Areas.
We are still to see the good words turn into changes or improvements on the ground, and Curlews can’t afford to wait for the big decisions to be made. A recent tweet by author and Curlew-champion Mary Colwell highlighted just one of the changes in our uplands in which Curlews and other waders are the losers. There is a danger that the rush to plant trees to reach Net Zero, under the new Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales Woodland Creation Schemes, could be detrimental to the open habitat needed by waders to nest and breed.
How you can help
If you see Curlews away from the coast during April to July, please provide the details at . The information can be used by Gylfinir Cymru partners to focus effort in the places that Curlews live. If you routinely use BirdTrack or eBird, please include breeding evidence codes and we can pick those up too.
Even if you don’t share your community with breeding Curlews, on this World Curlew Day, I’d ask you to raise your mug of tea to the heroes across Wales working to secure a future for these long-legged waders. Curlews need us all to care, wish the birds good fortune and the blessings of St Beuno.
(Photo: Andy Hay)