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This month Mary Colwell, the conservationist on a quest to save the beleaguered curlew
WHY CURLEWS?
As a child, I’d go walking in the Peak District with my dad – and the call of the curlew provided a soundtrack – a bubbling crescendo echoing across the countryside. Then, working as a producer at the BBC’S Natural History Unit, I got to know and love them even more.
BUT THEY’RE IN PERIL?
The British Trust for Ornithology predicts curlews will be extinct as a breeding bird in Wales within ten years. Southern Ireland has seen a 98 per cent decline in 30 years, from 8,000 pairs in the 1980s to around 135 pairs today. In Scotland, numbers are down by 60 per cent, and in England, 50 per cent. This is why, at the end of a contract with the BBC six years ago, I set out to help them.
YOU LAUNCHED A RESCUE MISSION?
I walked 500 miles across the UK and Ireland to track the birds, documenting the journey in my book, Curlew Moon [see right]. It was emotional. In Ireland, I got chatting to an old man who remembered curlews from his childhood but couldn’t recollect their call. I played it to him and tears poured down his face. He hadn’t heard the sound in years. It used to be everywhere.
WHY ARE THEY DISAPPEARING SO FAST?
Farming practices are a big factor. Curlews make their nests in long grass, which is cut multiple times a year to make silage, meaning eggs and chicks are destroyed. Meadows and wet grassland bogs, where they feed, have been drained for farmland and development. This is an issue, as they plunge their long beaks into soft soil for worms. And then there’s predation: the UK has more crows than anywhere else in Europe and plenty of foxes, too. Both eat curlew eggs and chicks.
IS THERE ANY HOPE?
I’m the chair of Curlew Recovery Partnership England, set up by Defra. We connect, advise and support anyone working to help curlews. Projects to remove eggs from the wild, raise chicks in captivity, then re-release them are showing positive signs. More than a hundred chicks were raised this way last year – some were released at Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. Prince Charles was there with his binoculars!
SO THEY HAVE FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES…
Oh, yes – Prince Charles loves curlews and is a key player in their conservation. He was devastated when I wrote to him explaining that out of a hundred nests in Shropshire, no chicks survived. He hosted two curlew summits at Highgrove and on Dartmoor.
TELL US ABOUT WORLD CURLEW DAY…
I founded World Curlew Day in 2017 [see below] and set up a charity called Curlew Action in 2019. Now, hundreds of people join in to raise awareness. Conservation isn’t just about science; it’s about community engagement, too.
BEST SPOTS FOR SIGHTINGS?
I live in Bristol, so my closest curlew spot is the Severn Estuary. In winter, they feed on its muddy banks, while in spring, they nest in the surrounding meadows. I recently visited North Norfolk, where I heard curlews calling over the marsh. While we have that, there’s hope. For guaranteed sightings, try the Peak District, Yorkshire Moors, Yorkshire Dales or Northumberland National Park.
A CHIRPY NOTE TO END ON?
The plight of our wildlife can feel disheartening, but I refuse to believe it’s the end game. If you feel overwhelmed by everything, pick something to love, as I love this beautiful, beleaguered bird. If you love something, you’ll look after it.
WHAT YOU CAN DO Do it today…
Read Mary’s book, Curlew Moon, to learn more about her journey tracking curlews across the UK (Harpercollins, £9.99).
Do it tomorrow…
Sign up to help monitor curlews. Visit curlewrecovery.org for monitoring resources, plus information on how to get started.
Do it this month…
Host an event to mark World Curlew Day on 21 April. Talks, walks, coffee mornings, art shows and poetry evenings all help spread the word. Visit curlewaction.org for ideas.