Main Image: Curlew. Image Credit: Andy Hay
Ian Cole, Project Officer for Curlew LIFE, Hadrian’s Wall, takes a moment to celebrate the achievements of the Curlew LIFE project across Cumbria and Northumberland. But also warns there is a lot more still to be done if we are to stop these precious birds disappearing for good.
Curlews are an iconic feature of the landscape, whether it is in the uplands during breeding season or on the coast over winter. Their mournful “cuuurlley, cuuurlley” call heralds the start of spring and lifts the hearts of everyone who hears it.
Sadly, this call is disappearing from many of our landscapes. Curlews are now absent from many former breeding areas across the countries of the UK. For example, in lowland southern England the population has declined to around 500 pairs, with many populations on the verge of local extinction.
Curlews are Red Listed which means they are on the highest list of conservation concern. Their population decline is mainly down to low breeding success, with Curlews not able to raise enough chicks for their population to remain stable. This is due to a loss of suitable breeding habitat, intensification of grassland management, forestry planting and climate change, and the associated pressure from generalist predators such as foxes and crows. Shockingly their numbers have declined by around 50% since the mid 1990’s.
To help our Curlew populations recover, the RSPB has been working for the past four years on a project called Curlew LIFE. Our aim has been to try and improve the breeding success of Curlews in five landscapes across the UK. Funded through the European Commission LIFE programme and other funders, Curlew LIFE has been working alongside nature friendly farmers to try and increase the numbers of Curlew chicks surviving until they fledge.
Curlew eggs. Image credit: Ian Francis
Working alongside farmers to improve thousands of hectares for Curlew, the project has deployed a mix of conservation solutions, with hands-on efforts such as nest protection fences, habitat restoration and predator management creating the conditions needed to give Curlew the best chance of success.
Across the four years working with farmers in the Hadrian’s Wall area, Curlew LIFE has funded conifer tree removal (that had seeded from nearby plantations), re-wet a drained bog (in partnership with the Tyne Rivers Trust), topped and wiped over 20 hectares of rushes, purchased Nofence cattle collars to manage grazing, trained volunteers to help install electric nest protection fences and, crucially, funded the creation of 20 new scrapes (shallow pools) in the landscape.
I think that it is important we celebrate our successes, individually and collectively. Two of our farmers, Ian Bell and Kit Acton, won Curlew friendly farming awards and one of our volunteers, Chris Smith, won a Curlew volunteer award. Chris has helped to set up another Curlew project in Cumbria, marking another legacy from Curlew LIFE.
Farmer Ian Bell and his partner Rebecca Dickens, tenants at RSPB Geltsdale. Image credit Ian Ryding. Winners of the Farmland Curlew Award, recognising farmers who make a significant contribution to Curlew conservation.
With the breeding results gathered, the figures show that the number of Curlew chicks hatched and successfully fledged across the five UK sites has risen since the project began in 2020. This forms a strong foundation for the recovery of Curlew.
We’d like to thank the European Commission LIFE Programme for funding this vital conservation project, which was also supported locally through the Fellfoot Forward programme led by the North Pennines National Landscape.
In the Hadrian’s Wall project area around 25 farms took part in the Curlew LIFE project. Farmers in the area love to have Curlews and Lapwings on their land and many were eager to help them increase the odds of chicks surviving until fledging.
To cover as much of the area as possible a team of fifty dedicated volunteers helped on the project across Hadrian’s Wall.
Our team of enthusiastic volunteers put up 25 metre square nest fences in around 30 minutes. Northumberland. Image Credit: Ian Cole
The Cumbria South Girl Guides celebrated “Operation Curlew” including curlew themed activities across the entire year.
Operation Curlew, banner created by the Cumbria South Girl Guides.
Without your support these kinds of projects would simply not be possible.
So, Thank You!
We have succeeded in creating a community around Curlews and raising awareness of their plight. For me personally, the biggest thing that Curlew LIFE achieved on Hadrian’s Wall was to bring together the farming community over the fortunes of the birds. At local events or when chatting to famers during site visits everyone wanted to know how the Curlew were doing across the Wall. Who had the most pairs? Whose chicks were still on the go? More farmers are getting involved in nature friendly farming and more volunteers. Starting to shift the dial for Curlew recovery through the Curlew LIFE project has been no mean feat, and the work certainly does not stop here. The commitment of farmers, alongside staff and volunteers, has been crucial to delivering this success so far and will need to continue if we are to enjoy the mystifying call of the Curlew for many years to come.
We’re grateful to the dozens of farmers in our region who have got involved in helping the Curlew. We hope this legacy will continue and more farmers will get involved in nature friendly farming. With thousands of hectares managed for Curlew as part of the entire project, the provision of adequate funding for farmers through agri-environment schemes will be crucial to ensuring that farmland across the UK continues to deliver for wildlife like Curlew.
You can watch our new film and read more about our advice for farmers here:
Advice for farmers - Curlew LIFE
Calling Curlew. Image Credit: Ian Cole
Curlews – Did you know that?
And finally….what can people do to help our Curlews?
You can help by trying not to disturb Curlews and other wading birds if you’re enjoying walks with your dog. They need space in the summer when breeding and in the winter when feeding. You too, can help our Curlews recover.