If you are enjoying our content, please consider making a donation.
Wintering waders sign competition
We are looking for Curlew Action’s official sign to encourage people not to disturb wintering waders. The UK’s coastline plays host to 150,000 Curlew from across Europe during the winter months. Protecting them from disturbance is vital to allow them to survive the harsh winter months. Read more in our recent blog post. How to […]
The Yellow Brick Road of Wader Conservation
This is the second of two blog posts about the IWSG conference, read the first post by Mike Smart. When do we reach the tipping point beyond which there is no option but to act with urgency, determination and vision? From the statistics we are already there, and have been for some time, but on […]
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 […]
Take part in Wader Conservation World Watch
This year will be the eleventh Wader Conservation World Watch (WCWW) event. Every year on the first weekend in November, to celebrate the start of Rick and Elis Simpson’s quest for waders around the world in support of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper in 2012, Wader Quest (now a charity) holds an annual worldwide event. This event […]
Wintering waders: the impact of disturbance
Every year, millions of wading birds around the world migrate away from their breeding grounds to warmer, food-rich areas such as coastlines and estuaries. This poses a challenge. For these birds to thrive throughout their lives we must protect them in both their breeding and wintering areas. There is no point protecting eggs and chicks if […]
Conserving Curlews- an update and a plea
As the results of the 2024 Eurasian Curlew breeding season come in, it looks like another mixed year. The poor weather in May and June seems to have had a serious effect in some places but helped in others. Generally, though, the trend is still downwards. But we mustn’t be too disheartened. Curlews are long-lived […]
An annual migration of wading bird scientists
This is the first of two blog posts about the IWSG conference, read the second post by Mary Colwell about her talk. The International Wader Study Group (IWSG) is the principal European organisation dedicated to waders; the American counterpart is the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN). IWSG was established some 50 years ago, mainly […]
The Big Picture Conference 2024
In mid-September, I travelled up to Scotland to speak at The Big Picture Conference 2024, held by the growing and influential rewilding charity Scotland: The Big Picture headed up by Peter Cairns as the Executive Director. Peter Cairns presenting at The Big Picture conference. (Photo by Mark Hamblin/scotlandbigpicture.com) I was invited to give the first […]
Mary Colwell awarded ZSL Silver Medal
Founder and Director of Curlew Action Mary Colwell has been awarded the ZSL Silver Medal, for outstanding contributions to the understanding and appreciation of zoology. Professor Jim Smith FRS, President of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), says: Members of the Committee were unanimous in their decision that you are a richly deserving winner for […]
Colour-ringed Curlews on the Usk estuary
Curlew expert and Curlew Action trustee Mike Smart shares an update on colour-ringed Curlew sightings from his local patch on the Usk, how colour-ringing is helping ornithologists to understand Curlew movements, and requests sightings and photographs of colour-ringed Curlews on the Usk. Current status of Eurasian Curlew A British Birds article in 2015 [PDF available via […]