Blog Posts from Curlew Action
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Curlews and Rewilding Few subjects in modern conservation generate as much passionate discussion as rewilding. It is a conversation that matters because it asks fundamental questions about how we restore nature, how much we intervene, and what kind of landscapes we want to leave for future generations. Recently, I received thoughtful and challenging comments about Curlew conservation and […]
A Visit to Insh Marshes If I were a Curlew, I’d choose here – as many do, listening to the calls echoing all around. Standing on a viewing point above the western end of the RSPB’s Insh Marshes reserve, Thijs Claes, Estate Operations Manager, and Colin MacLennan, RSPB volunteer, described their hopes for this remarkable landscape. The western end of the RSPB Insh Marshes The wide floodplain stretched away on either side of us, […]