Over two days in early February, Curlew Action brought together projects from across England and Europe to discuss the increasingly hot topic of headstarting European Curlews. 100 people attended, which is a testament to how important people see this technique as essential to Curlew survival.
Day 1 was dedicated to explaining the role of headstarting in conservation, plus reports from the various projects, and day 2 covered the practicalities in more detail. You can find recordings of all talks in the Biological Recording Company's YouTube playlist.
Why is headstarting taking place?
In every case, in every country, headstarting is a response to an alarming situation for Curlew. Across the board, Curlew in farmland’s breeding success is abysmal, around half of what it should be. To put it another way, although the birds are arriving on their breeding grounds and a pair typically lays three or four eggs, they only manage to fledge one chick every four years. For a sustainable population, each pair should fledge one chick every other year.
The result is that Curlews are disappearing rapidly, and in some areas they face local extinction. Upland Curlews (a UK speciality) are generally doing better, although they are still declining in many places. Predator control, habitat management, and less intensively managed grasslands make it easier for the birds to raise young.
As we have discussed in our webinars and blogs, the biggest problems the lowland birds face are high levels of predation, poor habitat, and intensive agricultural practices (such as frequent grass cropping for silage throughout the breeding season). Loss of habitat due to forestry, drainage, change of land use, disturbance, climate change and development are also damaging. The basic needs of Curlews are not being met over large swathes of their range, and hence the population is in rapid decline, over 50% in 20 years.
It is no surprise, then, that headstarting is seen as a welcome tool. Eggs are taken from the wild (many from airfields where they would otherwise be destroyed) and raised in captivity. It is wonderful to see young birds safely growing up in cages, protected from the dangers outside, and then see them fly away.
Does headstarting work?
The chances of them surviving thereafter have been shown to be about the same as for wild birds (although data collection is ongoing). If they make it to the flying stage, survival is 50% for the first couple of years, but after that 90% will survive year on year until they reach their twenties or even thirties. Keeping the adults alive isn’t the issue, the problems lie in fledging young - exactly what headstarting is designed to address.
There is a sugar-rush of delight as young Curlews soar away on the summer winds, taking with them a hope that they will return in two or three years to breed in the same place. So far, projects have found out that small numbers do exactly that, others join different groups and go on to breed elsewhere, and many it seems still haven’t taken the plunge and started breeding themselves. Some birds have simply disappeared. It is too early to say for sure how headstarting is contributing to the conservation of Curlews, but the auguries are pretty good when it comes to releasing birds and adding to the general population. Successful breeding is still being investigated.
Are we sorted then? A growing number of people are so concerned at what is happening to their local Curlews they feel they have no choice but to undertake headstarting, but will it save the day?
Of course, headstarting is a significant tool in the conservation box, see Geoff Hilton’s talk on Headstarting: The Big Picture which lays out how useful it is in keeping things going. There is no doubt it can stave off extinction, but it is crucial to understand that it can’t do that on its own, there are other factors to take into account, and getting a licence is just the start.
Headstarting cannot be considered if habitat management and predator control are not part of the package. Both of these need to have been researched and assessed before headstarting is even in the table so that the correct interventions are put in place. There is no point in producing more birds if they face the same problems on their return.
Headstarting is a huge commitment in time, money and resources. There are financial outlays for incubators, cages, training staff, food, veterinary services, and post-release monitoring. Too often this last requirement is not taken up, but we have to know if it works, and that can only be done by monitoring the birds once they are free.
Headstarting has to be a long-term plan, a commitment to doing it year-on-year for at least five years, which is a significant amount of money. It is so demanding it can draw time and resources away from other essential conservation actions.
Local community engagement is essential, and time needs to be spent explaining what is happening and why. Taking eggs from the wild and excluding or killing native Foxes and Crows can be of real concern to locals if the process isn’t understood. The long-term measures that have to be put in place will only be successful if the local community accept and support what needs to be done.
And last but not least, a supply of eggs must be guaranteed. If they can’t come from local birds, where can they be sourced? There are limited eggs from airfields, and moving eggs from areas of healthier populations, such as on moors, has to be done with expert knowledge and legal permissions.
All these topics were discussed in the workshop, and please do search the videos out to get insight into what it means to go ahead with such a huge operation. Natural England supplies the licences, and the Curlew Recovery Partnership can make sure any questions get to the right people.
Headstarting and wildlife conservation
Taking a step back, it seems to me that the growing interest in headstarting shows how worried we are about the health of our landscapes and wildlife. Birds which used to find space and peace to breed are being squeezed out, and the forces bearing down on them are enormous, nothing less than the way we live today.
The questions around headstarting and conservation are existential, they go to the heart of who we are and how we see ourselves as part of a wider, wild world. They challenge us to think about how much we really want wild spirits like Curlews to live alongside us. If we do, then giving them what they need will be demanding of us and will ask we do things differently. Controlling predators, reducing the intensity of farming, and restricting access to breeding areas, for example, might result in curtailing our freedoms and higher prices for meat and dairy. We will have to get serious about dairy production that relies on silage, and far more serious about climate change and where we plant trees and site renewable energy infrastructure.
Is the UK a nation of nature lovers? To love something is difficult, demanding and often requires sacrifices. Love never comes alone, it brings with it a whole host of responsibilities, asks, self negation and absolute commitment. That is not easy. To truly love and care for nature means we will have to dig deep and become more like nature warriors, willing to stand up to the forces that are wrecking the planet.
Curlew conservation isn’t for the faint hearted – conservation in general isn’t for those who just want things to go on the way they are. Curlews are asking us to step up and make sacrifices for them. It is a choice of course, we can say the price is too high. Or we can reassess how we choose to live in the modern world and demonstrate a better future through words and actions. Wildlife that has no value other than giving us immense joy and depth to life is fighting for its very existence and it seems that global politics, economics and societal values are not moving in the right direction. Loving nature is easy to say, but will we actually do it?
Headstarting opens a whole range of huge issues for us to consider. Curlew Action will hold a webinar later in the year to assess how the season went across Europe, so keep an eye out for notices. In the meantime, everyone at Curlew Action wishes you a wonderful, Curlew-filled spring and summer 2025, and thank you for your continued support for what we do.