Blog Posts from Curlew Action
This year’s national Curlew round-up took us from the Angus Glens to Dartmoor, from the New Forest to Northern Ireland. The message was clear: where people, land managers and volunteers work together, Curlews can thrive, but overall, the threats remain stark and urgent. Here is a project-by-project summary of the results. Scotland – Angus & […]
By Mary Colwell – AEWA MOP, 11 November 2025 On 10 October 2025 the Slender-billed Curlew was declared extinct by the IUCN. It still feels raw to say the deadening finality of that word, extinct. This delicate, long-billed wader, once a part of the wildlife community of Asia/Africa/Europe has gone. A life once woven […]
Interview with Matt Trevelyan — The Man Who Walked 53 Miles Dressed as a Curlew by Matt Lewis, RSPB When most people think of endurance challenges, they imagine marathons or mountain climbs, not hiking miles across the Yorkshire countryside in a towering, handmade curlew costume. But for Matt Trevelyan, Farming in Protected Landscapes Officer for […]
Curlew chick (Photo by WWT) On November 13th, 2024, Curlew Action hosted a free webinar bringing together conservationists, researchers, and curlew advocates from over 15 European countries. Chaired by Mike Smart, former Curlew Action trustee and long-time champion of wader conservation, the event provided a sobering yet hopeful snapshot of the Eurasian Curlew’s breeding […]
French Curlews Statistics: Around 1,000 pairs across France but the larger populations are concentrated in two main areas: In the east – the Val de Saône (400 pairs) and in the northwest in Normandy (200 pairs). There are smaller populations in other regions. Almost all of them are in farmland. French Curlews mainly winter in […]
Whether the Hudsonian Whimbrel is a distinct species or not has been a debate amongst taxonomists and birders for a while – and has been settled… for now. The first version of AviList, published 12 June 2025, has listed Hudsonian Whimbrel (Numenius hudsonicus) as a distinct species from the Eurasian Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus), bringing the […]
A visit to see the new 25 million euro EIP (European Innovation Partnership) project for ten species of breeding waders, which runs for five years from 2024 to 2028. This project builds on the previous excellent Curlew work which laid the groundwork for Curlew conservation in Ireland. This is turn came out of the All-Ireland […]
Curlew statistics: around 200 – 220 pairs are distributed through meadows alongside rivers, the majority in the east. The population has declined by 60% in the last 20 years with the main issues being agricultural operations like harrowing and silage cutting, and high levels of predation. Distribution of Curlews in Poland. Location In April 2024, […]
It’s World Migratory Bird Day today! World Migratory Bird Day is celebrated each year on the second Saturday of May (or October, depending on where you are), and is part of a campaign to raise awareness of migratory birds and the issues that they face. Migrating birds pose unique challenges in conservation, not least because […]
Over 16s Winner The Last Slender-billed Curlew, by Emma Price When the last one criedWith no other to hearDid she dissolve into nothingnessUntil just a voice remained,Echo on the wind, softly fading?Or did she wait a whileWondering why no answer came.Was she lonely? Resigned?Or did she continue,Hoping to find the othersWherever they had gone?Was it […]
I recently watched Sir Gareth Southgate deliver his moving and emotionally intelligent 2025 Dimbleby lecture. Deliver is a good term, it was presented to us with care and thoughtfulness as though passing on something special. What an extraordinary leader he is. The main message is that young men are hurting, they are suffering from “lack […]
Over two days in early February, Curlew Action brought together projects from across England and Europe to discuss the increasingly hot topic of headstarting European Curlews. 100 people attended, which is a testament to how important people see this technique as essential to Curlew survival. Day 1 was dedicated to explaining the role of headstarting […]