Once chicks have hatched they are fitted with rings and tiny radio tags to help us to understand better what chicks require until they fledge. This year, following the devastating chick losses of the previous years, the Curlew Country project has applied for a licence to incubate eggs returning them to the nest as […]
The eggs are incubated for about four weeks and the time from hatching until fledging is variable, but can be about 5 or 6 weeks. Food availability for chicks can affect the length of time it takes for chicks to fledge. Curlew Fact Curlew chicks will take 2 to 3 days to break their
Although territorial, adult curlews will still co-operate to fend off predators. As numbers dwindle and nests are further apart, curlew communities are less able to successfully fend off predators and more vulnerable to nest failure. We have seen a curlew pinning a crow to the ground and attacking it with its long bill. Curlew
Curlews return to local nesting territories from February onwards. Nests are usually started in April, but we are learning that a number of factors contribute to nesting time, including grass length of potential nest sites, access to good feeding sites enabling the birds to get into condition and the effect the weather has on
2017 is the third year of Curlew Country nest monitoring. In previous years cameras and thermal data loggers were used on over 30 nests to establish why curlew are failing to breed successfully. No chicks survived from the nests. Most of the nests were predated at egg stage and failed to hatch chicks. The
This nest was found by the farmer when out checking on his livestock. The Curlew Country project works in close partnership with farmers who are generally keen to support these birds if we find a nest on their land. Unfortunately curlew nests are notoriously difficult to find and this can leave nests at risk
We have noticed that local birds tend to choose grassland of about 30cms in length that is long enough to hide in, but short enough to look out of if necessary. Adults need to be able to hide safely as well as lookout over the vegetation during the early stages of nesting when they
Away from moorland and upland areas, curlew have nested in traditional hay meadows which are now much rarer on farmland. Their nesting sites may now be grazed by cattle and/or sheep, or in a crop of silage or hay. This pair are nesting in cattle grazed pasture with rush (juncus) suggesting that there is
Both birds take turns to incubate the eggs with a changeover every few hours. The bird not incubating goes to feed nearby if possible and keeps a look out for predators. From time to time you may hear that bird alarm calling from a distance when it senses danger. The alarm calls are shorter
Curlew Comment The pair are both ‘colour ringed’. You can see the rings on their legs when they stand up in the nest. Tony Cross the project ornithologist ringed these birds and many other curlew at their pre-breeding roost on the River Severn as part of the project work. Please report other colour ring sightings
The nest area is fenced temporarily with strands of electric wire to deter mammalian predators such as foxes and badgers. One of our project partners, the Game and Wildife Conservation Trust, told us about a NABU project in Schleswig-Holstein where Natalie Meyer had trialled fences around curlew nests for the first time with success.
Curlew are ground-nesting birds. We think that this is the pair that has already tried to nest on a nearby piece of grassland on a common, but their nest was predated either by crows or badgers, so this is a second attempt at nesting. The ornithologist was drawn to the first attempt at nesting