Based on a article in British Wildlife, July 2026 Curlews sit at the heart of one of the most important conservation debates of our time – how do we restore nature while also protecting the species that depend on the landscapes we have created? Rewilding has brought huge energy, imagination and ambition to conservation. It asks us to think beyond small fragments of protected […]
You might have heard the news that the Bank of England has opened the public vote to decide which species will feature on the new £5, £10, £20 and £50 bank notes. The species are split into three categories and two species per category can be selected in the vote. The groups and the species
A Note of Hope: Why the Curlew Needs Its Moment in Circulation Read More »
Alex Large, who presented his project in Nidderdale, North Yorkshire, to Curlew Action recently writes: A few weeks ago one of my group came onto the group WhatsApp chat with reports of a sad scene only a few miles from our project area. A farmer had been mowing silage and there were scenes of distressed adult Curlews, whose nests had clearly
Before us lay a vast sweep of peatland beneath a heavy Ayrshire sky. It isn’t wilderness in the true sense but an interweaving mosaic of blanket bog, moorland, wet grassland and grazed fields, shaped by the weather, water and human use. At first glance it seemed unassuming, but its purpose quickly became clear, to support wildlife, and especially the breeding waders for which it has become so important. The reserve lies in East Ayrshire, between Cumnock and Muirkirk, where the
Most people have welcomed the forthcoming GCSE in Natural History, but there are critics, most notably Mya-Rose Craig. The issue is not nature education in principle, but inequalities in access to nature and the need to address existing social and racial disparities within the environmental sector. Mya-Rose argues that, unless these barriers are addressed, the GCSE could benefit those who
by Graham Appleton Everyone associated with Curlew Action, or the wider world of curlew conservation for that matter, will be delighted to learn that Mary Colwell has been awarded an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours List. Although officially a recognition that she is now a ‘Member of the Order of the British Empire’, wouldn’t it be great
Conservation is becoming increasingly complex. Climate change, biodiversity loss, food production, renewable energy and land use all demand attention, yet the solutions to one problem can sometimes create challenges for another. It is one of the reasons I find Curlews so fascinating. They sit at the intersection of some of the greatest environmental challenges facing humanity and force
Curlews and the Conservation Dilemma We Need to Talk About Read More »
Hi! My name is Bud, I’m 13 years old and I’ve been into wildlife for as long as I can remember! I have early memories of hearing booming Bitterns at RSPB Westhay and watching Redpolls on my feeders in my old home in West Wales. However, 3 years ago, sparked by a book from my
Southwest Scotland is one of those places where the challenges facing ground-nesting waders become vividly clear. Curlew, Lapwing, Redshank, Snipe and Oystercatcher still breed across these rolling hills and farmed valleys, but their future depends on navigating a web of farming practices, land management, predation, forestry, wind farms and economic pressures. Here, many competing demands are placed on
Protecting Wading Birds in Farmed Landscapes in Southwest Scotland Read More »
It was a pleasure to catch up with David Jarrett from the British Trust for Ornithology in Scotland and explore how his thinking has evolved since we last met more than two years ago. David combines scientific rigour with a genuine passion for Scotland’s uplands and wader populations. Thoughtful, analytical and always open to debate, he is helping to
The Future of Curlews – A Conversation with David Jarrett from the BTO Read More »
The Fundraising Phone Box By Curlew Action Ambassador Steve Woodard In the little Yorkshire village of Wooldale the locals are marking World Curlew Day and Curlew Action in a rather unusual way. The village still has a red telephone box which over the years has been turned into a little community hub for all sorts
Parliamentary Briefing on the UK Curlew Action Plan On 25 March 2026, we took part in a parliamentary briefing on the UK Curlew Action Plan, hosted and chaired by Chris Hinchliff, MP (North East Hertfordshire). Chris is emerging as a strong and thoughtful voice for nature restoration and has consistently supported calls for stronger protective legislation and shown a clear commitment to addressing the biodiversity crisis. He
Parliamentary Briefing on the UK Curlew Action Plan Read More »
The joke that isn’t a joke: gender bias in fieldwork and the moments that give it away by Mary Colwell, Prof Jenny Gill Goethe famously said (I’m paraphrasing), “Show me what you laugh at, and I’ll tell you who you are”. A ‘joke’ is usually where the truth slips out, because many a true word is spoken in jest. Recently, a moment in elite sport did exactly
The joke that isn’t a joke: gender bias in fieldwork and the moments that give it away Read More »
The value of volunteering to both the recipient organisation and the individual really can’t be underestimated and this is particularly true in conservation. I can say this with confidence having been volunteering for over three years now for the RSPB, BTO and now Curlew Action. The benefits can be enormous. For example the RSPB enjoys
Memories of the filming phase with the RSPB Life Curlew Project officers, during the making of the Curlew campaign film, Stunned by Silence – by Malka Holmes, Greengage Films & Curlew Action Ambassador The Uplands of North Wales 2023-24 Curlew breeding Season 1 I remember I was quite excited when I got the first pin-drop
Memories of the filming phase with the RSPB Life Curlew Project Officers Read More »
Over the weekend of 6–8 February, we held the second in-person European Curlew Fieldworker Workshop at Lancaster University in the north-west of England. This is Curlew Action’s flagship event, bringing together curlew conservationists, scientists, artists, educators, musicians and others from across Europe to share ideas and inspire one another. It is our contribution to a positive outcome for
Listening for What’s Disappearing: Ogenblik on Sound, Nature, and the Call of the Curlew At Curlew Action, we spend a lot of time thinking about absence, and about the quieting of landscapes that once rang with birdsong, and what it means when a sound slips from everyday life into memory. Few artists explore
Ogenblik on Sound, Nature, and the Call of the Curlew Read More »
Echoes of a Vanishing Song by guest writer: Sarah Marles With the slender-billed curlew now officially declared extinct, the Eurasian curlew’s call across the Dee Estuary feels more precious – and more precarious – than ever. At low tide the Dee Estuary lies open; a vast, breathing sheet of slick mud and silt glazed in pewter
A Turning Point for Curlew Recovery: The UK Curlew Action Plan Launched in the House of Lords On Monday 19th January, the House of Lords became the setting for a pivotal moment in the unfolding story of one of Britain’s most iconic birds: the launch of the UK Curlew Action Plan. Hosted by Lord Randall of Uxbridge the event was
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 &
Curlew Breeding Season 2025: A Round-Up from Across the UK Read More »
