Curlew concerns

Curlew Country’s annual Curlew Cam, which gives people the opportunity to see chicks hatch and eventually fledge in early June, has once again put the spotlight on the plight of this beloved species. Although Curlew Country has managed to stem the birds’ decline in the Shropshire Hills, the outlook across the UK is far from rosy.

“The prospects are as dire as they’ve ever been; we have lost about 50% of breeding curlew in 25 years,” says Amanda Perkins of Curlew Country.

The UK, adds Samantha Franks of the British

Trust for Ornithology, is internationally important for breeding curlew, so “we have a global imperative to turn their fortunes around”.

The main causes of the wader’s disappearance are habitat loss, predators and some agricultural practices. “Providing good habitats is the number one priority,” says Franks. This means having open landscapes and switching to curlewfriendly agriculture. She believes the upcoming Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMS) will help support the transition to more sympathetic farming.

Perkins agrees that ELMS can make a difference, noting that where cover is not rich chicks become vulnerable to predators. However, she’s concerned they may be too late: “Farmers are losing the basic payments and there’s a huge gap until the new schemes kick in – the sustainable farming incentive is not enough. So until then, they’ll use every resource they have got; you can’t go green if you are in the red.”