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 […]
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
This is the first of two blog posts about the IWSG conference, a second one by Mary Colwell will follow shortly. 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 by
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
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
Upton-on-Severn is a small town on the west bank of the River Severn (as its name suggests!), south of Worcester. The town itself is on slightly higher ground, alongside “Upton Ham”. Upton: Ham in the foreground, the town, Malvern Hills in the background. (Photo by John Dickinson) The Ham is a meadow which regularly floods
In the midst of our daily routines, it’s easy to get consumed with administrative work, science, emails, and even the politics of conservation. However, we should never forget why we genuinely care about Curlews and other birds, the simple pleasure we get from seeing this wild bird living in their natural habitat. When you are
This is the second of two blog posts from Curlew Action’s visit to Belgium. Read the first one – a diary detailing the different locations visited. Headstarting Belgium’s Eurasian Curlew population is supported by the small but effective headstarting project based at the wildlife rescue centre. It is a service offered for free to Natuurpunt,
This is the first of two blog posts from Curlew Action’s visit to Belgium. Read the second one – with further thoughts from Mary on Belgian and European Curlews. Meet Griet Nijs, a Curlew hero. She works for the conservation organisation Natuurpunt, the largest environmental charity in Belgium. Curlews are Griet’s passion, and she works
This is the second of two blog posts on Curlew Action’s visit to Poland, read Mary’s reflections in this blog post. The first link with Polish Curlew workers was established when a Curlew colour-ringed on the Usk estuary in Wales in January 2016 was resighted in Poland from 19 to 26 April 2018 in one
This is the first of two blog posts on Curlew Action’s visit to Poland. Read Mike Smart’s blog post. A warm wind blew across a very large field in Eastern Poland, it was mid-April and uncharacteristically mild. In the distance a farmer ploughed one small area, his engine a grating background to the music of
Did you know that 21 April is World Curlew Day! Isn’t there a day for everything? Why then does y gylfinir deserve a special day’? As is frequently the case the standard Welsh term for the Curlew – y gylfinir – describes Britain’s largest wading bird perfectly: gylfin = bill, hir = long! It’s difficult
In 2024, we are being joined by three guest judges for our World Curlew Day Competition! Each guest judge will assist Mary Colwell in choosing the winning entries from a category. Meet the World Curlew Day judges: Head judge: Mary Colwell Mary is a writer, TV and radio producer and conservationist, whose massive walk across
Farlington Marshes Nature Reserve sits within Langstone Harbour, down on the busy south coast of Hampshire. Managed by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust since the 1960s, it forms one of the most important sites in the Solent for overwintering waders and wildfowl, as well as providing a very important role for local breeding
What does the future hold for Farlington Marshes? Read More »
As we say goodbye to 2023 it’s a good time to look back on the Eurasian Curlew breeding season and search for signs of optimism or despair! This summary is largely based upon results presented at the recent Curlew Forum meeting at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) Slimbridge Wetland Centre on 16 Nov 2023,
Some perspectives on the UK Curlew breeding season in 2023 Read More »
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
A recent scientific paper published in eLife suggest that the loss of huge mammals at the end of the last Ice Age, grazers such as Giant Elks and Woolly Mammoths, would have had a significant impact on the landscapes on which they had lived and on birds like curlews, which thrived on the open ground.
What’s the link between mammoths and curlew diversity? Read More »
In the eighth of her ‘21 Wildlife Walks’, Mya Bambrick visited the Severn and Avon Vales to learn more about the Eurasian Curlew and its conservation – including walking with Curlew Action Founder and Director Mary Colwell, and Curlew Action Trustee Mike Smart. She also met up with Daniel Gornall, Research Officer at the Wildfowl
In early August 2023, it was announced that the hunting of three species of birds – Eurasian Curlew, European Turtle Dove and Black-tailed Godwit – had been suspended in France until 30 July 2024. The three ban orders were signed by Christophe Béchu, the Minister of Ecological Transition. “Curlew Action is delighted that hunting of Curlews
Curlew hunting ban in France extended until July 2024 Read More »
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.
Curlews in the Netherlands – lessons for the UK lowlands? Summary Blog Read More »