Mary Colwell

Mary is the Director of Curlew Action and is a writer, TV and radio producer and conservationist, whose massive walk across the breadth of the UK in 2016 helped raise the profile of the Curlew, and led her to write the greatly influential Curlew Moon (a must-read for any Curlew fan!). Mary founded Curlew Action in late-2019 after a series of talks, meetings and forums among experts discussing what was most needed to rescue the rapidly declining UK Curlew population. Mary loves long distance walking, camping, reading and cycling, as well as wildlife and storytelling, and it is her passion for telling the story of the curlew that has helped launch it into the public consciousness in the past few years. In addition to Curlew Moon, she is the author of three more books: John Muir: The Scotsman Who Saved America’s Wild Places; Beak, Tooth and Claw: Living with Predators in Britain; and The Gathering Place: A Winter Pilgrimage Through Changing Times.

mary
A compilation of two photos, each showing a man smiling.

A Change of Chair

After five years, Roger Morgan-Grenville is handing over the reins as Chair of the Trustees. A huge thank you from the team, of course, but also a personal message of gratitude from me for five years of friendship, fun and sharing burdens. Roger was there from the earliest days of Curlew Action, a stalwart and […]

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An illustration of a Slender-billed Curlew. Over part of the top of the image, there is a red graphic and white text which says 'extinct' in all capital letters.

Slender-billed Curlew declared extinct

A paper published today, Monday 18th November, confirms the global extinction of the Slender-billed Curlew (Numenius tenuirostris). A close relation of the Eurasian Curlew (N. arquata), the last reliable sighting of the Slender-billed Curlew was in Morocco in February 1995, despite dedicated searches by ornithologists. The new paper is a collaboration between scientists from the

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A photo of bird silhouettes against a blue sky at sunset.

RSPB Curlew LIFE project and the North West Birdwatching Festival

On the 9th October I attended a day of talks and discussions in the Manor House Country Hotel near Enniskillen in Northern Ireland, organised by the EU-funded RSPB Curlew LIFE project. This was an ambitious undertaking over 4 years which focused on turning things around for Curlews in five important areas: Hadrian’s Wall and RSPB

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Aerial view of Sylt, surrounded by ocean, on a partially cloudy day.

Wading bird scientists flock together at Sylt

People who love waders, like the birds themselves, flock together in the autumn at the annual conference of the International Wader Study Group (IWSG). The range of attendees mirrored the diversity of wading birds scattered across the mudflats surrounding the island of Sylt off the northern coast of Germany, where the meeting was held. I

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Curlews in the Netherlands – lessons for the UK lowlands? Summary Blog

Mary Colwell, Mike Smart (Curlew Action), Rebecca Pringle (Natural England) with Dutch hosts Henk-Jan Ottens (Montagu’s Harrier Foundation), Gerrit Gerritsen (Birdfriendly Dairy) SUMMARY OF FINDINGS The Netherlands has long devoted attention to “meadow birds” (ground-nesting waders, notably Black-tailed Godwit, Lapwing, Redshank, Ruff, and Curlew). One of the current leaders of the long-term research is Prof.

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