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 »
Written by: Mike Smart, Mary Colwell – Curlew Action Rebecca Pringle – Natural England We visited the Netherlands to see how Curlews are faring in the intensive farmland that makes up the majority of this small, highly managed country – can we glean any wisdom on how to help curlews nesting in the lowlands in
By Mary Colwell and Russell Wynn Summary Finland has a human population of 5.5 million, the UK is nearly 70 million. Finland in 1.4 times larger than the UK. Most people live in the south of Finland. More than 75% of Finland’s land area is forested, but these forests are significantly different to UK woodlands,
curlew action fact-finding mission to finland: May 2023 Read More »
Day 4 – Curlews in North Karelia It makes sense when you see curlews in vast peatlands. A large brown bird doesn’t look so big or stand out so much in the vast mires of North Karelia, in fact it looks small, and it blends into the background, camouflaged against the browns, whites, and greys
Finland – Day 3. Linnunsuo wetland and Liperi to see the curlews in the nesting areas in the western part of North Karelia. The sun glinted off the freshwater pools, and the azure sky was filled with the sound of hundreds of little gulls and migrating barnacle geese. In the shallows were dabbling shoveler, teal,
This morning, before we left Helsinki, we were hosted by Nina Mikander, Global Director of Policy for Birdlife International. She put on a magnificent brunch – a big thank you from Curlew Action! Our conversation was wide-ranging, from the declining status of ‘meadow birds’, of which curlew are just one, to the main threats facing
Saturday 13th By Mary Colwell We are on our way to Helsinki! A small group from Curlew Action – Professor Russ Wynn (a trustee and ecologist/naturalist), Ellen Bradley (Manager of Curlew Action) and myself – are on a mission to explore the relationship between curlews and trees and predators, a complex but increasingly vital interaction
Photo by Annemarie Loof By Mary Colwell. I can’t think of a more Irish bird than the Curlew, that singer of bitter-sweet songs over fields and bogs that heralds the start of warmer days. Come April, the bubbling call builds into a crescendo of urgent notes, at once sad and ecstatic, and it never fails
The Eurasian Curlew is such an important indicator of the health of landscapes, not just in the very western end of its range in the UK and Ireland, but right across Europe. This is a bird that breeds on the wet peat bogs of Southern Ireland and across the wild steppes of Siberia; it is
In October 2022, we held a webinar on Curlews and Predators. The predation of Curlew eggs and chicks is one of the leading causes of the species’ decline. It is an emotive and complicated topic to discuss, but it is important these discussions are held so that we can get closer to the solution of
Mary Colwell is the Founder and Director of Curlew Action. She has worked tirelessly to raise awareness about the plight of the Curlew. For eleven years, she spearheaded the campaign for a GCSE in Natural History, which was confirmed earlier this year and will be in schools from September 2025. The team at Curlew Action
Anyone who has heard the call of the Curlew knows they are worth protecting in their own right, their evocative, eerie cry across a moor or a mudflat belongs to the soul of our wild places. To add to their significance as an iconic and much loved British bird, they are what is known as
Umbrella species: why saving curlew helps more than curlew Read More »