The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Curlew Cam Family – by Amanda Perkins, Project Manager Thank you to all of you who engaged in the Curlew Cam journey to see the hatching of chicks. Many of you said it was rather too distracting and in fact it was so distracting for us, that we had […]
The Curlew Cam Family Read More »
Curlew Calling Anthology edited by Karen Lloyd This beautifully written and illustrated book was the brainchild of Karen Lloyd. Karen is a multi -talented artist, who became involved with the Curlew Country project when she was commissioned as part of a team working on a series of arts activities to celebrate curlew in 2015. Karen had
Curlew Calling Anthology Read More »
Blog by Amber Bicheno, Curlew Country Trainee Between the 3rd and 5th of August I joined Sticks and Stuff’s pop up art gallery, up at the Blakemoorgate cottages on the Stiperstones. Sticks and Stuff is an arts group that celebrates nature and local landscapes, making beautiful creations out of reclaimed and natural materials. Kate Johnston
A Case For Curlew – A day out with Sticks and Stuff Read More »
Each year, someone within the project area publishes a photo of a number of adult curlew and suggests that the population level is not a problem and even that curlew are, despite the evidence, breeding successfully. Our attention has been drawn to this happening in July of this year. Below we address why this can be an
False Reassurances Read More »
Wynford Jones and his wife Joyce were the first farmers to contact the Landscape Partnership Scheme when it was set up back in 2013. With my colleague John Brayford, I am responsible for the Farming Project and took the call. Wynford was in fact phoning not for advice, but to say that he was not
The Oakdale Saga – The challenge faced by farmers and chicks Read More »
Did any chicks survive? One morning at the end of the season, I received an email from a farmer in Wales to say that they had seen ‘their’ curlew family flying greater distances from the farm, and now they have disappeared. Phew – we now know that some chicks have fledged successfully and stand a
End of 2017 Breeding Season – Project Summary Read More »
It was a bitter-sweet visit to the Curlew Country project in Shropshire on June 12th. It was a baking hot day, and for a couple of hours before lunch Amanda Perkins and Tony Cross from the project, Phil Sheldrake (RSPB), Mike Smart (ace birdwatcher) and myself tried to find three or four chicks that were
Until the last Curlew Calls… Blog by Mary Colwell Hector Read More »
For over a decade local Community Wildife Groups have been carrying out adult wader surveys from rights of way according to British Trust for Ornithology methodology. This citizen science discovered the dramatic decline in the local curlew population and now informs the project about curlew territories helping to point the nest finding team in
A Project Advisory Group oversees the technical work of the project. Local partners include Natural England and the National Trust, and the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) is a partner at a national level. During the early stages of the project the local RSPB representative was hugely important in helping us to design
This year we have been responding to requests to help others from curlew projects starting up around the country to start to train them in the nest finding process. It is important that those hoping to learn how to find nests already have a good understanding of wildlife and a lot of patience. We
The project needs funding to help secure a future for local curlew and play its part in the survival of the wider curlew population. Please help us to secure a Country for Curlew, find out how you can help here. Curlew Fact Without essential intervention work to help the population recover, it is estimated
To reverse dramatic local curlew population decline it is necessary to raise higher numbers of chicks. Alongside the trial of electric fencing to deter mammalian predators, lethal fox control is being carried out during the breeding season by specialist contractors. The Curlew Country project has received a great deal of professional advice in respect