Image credit: Looking for nesting Curlew out on the moors in the Peak District credit: Roz Lees, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust
In a small corner of the Peak District, volunteer ‘Wader Wardens’ have been dedicating their springs and summers to monitoring breeding pairs of Curlew, Snipe and Lapwing. In 2024, their efforts have expanded to protecting Curlew nests for the first time. Jamie Murphy, Conservation Officer, shares this season’s story.
The arrival of spring in the south-west Peak District is heralded each year by the distinctive bubbling call of the Curlew, signalling its return from a winter spent on the coast to its breeding grounds inland. Over the next few months, these birds build nests, lay eggs and attempt to raise their chicks to adolescence, so the next generation of Curlew can return and continue their long history in the landscape. They are joined by other species of breeding wading birds, or waders for short, including Lapwing and Snipe, that are all there for the same reason. And every year since 2017 they have been greeted by a welcome party of dedicated Wader Wardens.
These different bird species have a lot in common. They all nest on the ground in different types of vegetation and their diet relies upon an abundance of small insects and worms which are common in the wet ground. Sadly, they are also all birds of conservation concern in the UK due to dramatic reductions in their populations and breeding ranges. The causes of these declines are complicated but include long-term losses of suitable habitats, as well as reduced survival rates of eggs and chicks, linked with high numbers of predators such as Red Foxes and Carrion Crows in the UK.
In many places, the gradual disappearance of these birds is going unnoticed as silence settles in their place. Thankfully, there are many eyes to the skies and ears to the ground in the pastures and moorland between the towns of Macclesfield, Buxton and Leek, where the three counties of Cheshire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire meet. The Wader Wardens are a network of volunteers from local communities who dedicate hours of their lives in spring and summer to following the stories of these seasonal visitors across the hills. Their tales of hope, struggle, joy and despair can be difficult to bear alone, so they are shared with a community that is now over thirty strong.
Claire Smith, who has been a Wader Warden since 2019, shared her experiences:
“The Curlew is that enigmatic and distinctive bird of coast and moorland. As a Wader Warden it is a real joy to be able to contribute to building knowledge of this beautiful bird. We have spent glorious hours watching, listening and recording the stories of Curlew on the Moss.”
“It’s the perfect spot which has it all: moorland, wet pastures, old hay meadows and upland farmers who care deeply about nature.”
What were our beginnings?
This volunteer network was originally established during a National Lottery Heritage Fund project which took place between 2017 and 2021 called ‘Working for Waders’. This was part of the wider South West Peak Landscape Partnership and saw 50 farms receive detailed Wader Plans with advice on how to enhance land management practices to support breeding waders. It is testament to these farmers that Curlew, Lapwing and Snipe are still found here in relative abundance, when they have been lost from so many other places. It is also with their permission and ongoing support that the Wader Wardens can get out and monitor the birds so closely.
Over 150 survey visits were undertaken by the community in 2024, adding up to many hundreds of volunteer hours spent tracking waders, which is a remarkable achievement for a team without any funded Project Officers. Since surveys began, the Wader Wardens have contributed an enormous amount of data, informing our collective understanding of how well these birds are faring in the landscape and where ongoing conservation efforts should be focused. This has resulted in the Wader Wardens receiving training and support with finding and protecting Curlew nests for the first time in 2024, turning local knowledge into action.
Finding nests is a tricky business that requires a lot of patience, as Curlew will go to great lengths to hide their location. This can take hours of observation, often over multiple days. Once a nest has been found, it is possible to install a temporary electric fence around it which is designed to prevent predatory mammals such as Red Foxes from eating their eggs. The fence also helps keeps out livestock which can accidentally trample nests, maximising the chances of chicks hatching and ultimately surviving to ‘fledging’ when they can fly and fend for themselves.
Funding was generously provided by the Peak Wildlife Park. The team were provided with their first fencing kits in 2024 so this could be attempted on a trial basis. Great care and efficiency is required to install a temporary electric fence in a way that doesn’t disturb Curlew, so the Wader Wardens received training and support from the RSPB, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and Cheshire Wildlife Trust. They successfully protected their first Curlew nest on Staffordshire Wildlife Trust land near The Roaches, which hatched two chicks in late May. It is hoped that all of the experience gained from this season will enable these efforts to be scaled up with closer involvement of local farmers, so more nests can be protected, and the Wader Wardens can continue to improve the prospects for Curlew in the landscape.
If you’re interested in finding out more or getting involved, please contact: jamie.murphy@rspb.org.uk.