Blog written by the Biological Recording Company Curlews are among the UK’s most recognisable and well-loved birds, but sadly their numbers are falling fast. The main problem is that too few chicks are making it to adulthood – but the reasons behind that are complex. As ground-nesting birds, Curlews are especially vulnerable to the changing […]
Heading south from Insh Marshes, our Scottish tour next takes us to two grouse moors: the Rottal and Glenogil Estates. We visit them on consecutive days to learn more about how Curlews are faring on grouse moors in Scotland, a managed habitat which, in England, is known as one of their last strongholds. Our main takeaway from these two visits is that,
For much of my life, I have been circling the story of the Curlew, trying, and often failing, to find words large enough for it. Science has always mattered to me. Of course it has. We need evidence, data, hard-won observation; we need to know where Curlews still breed, why chicks fail, how water moves through fields, how insects vanish, how policies land on real
Telling the Right Stories: Curlews, Farming, Shakespeare and Us Read More »
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
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 »
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,
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
