When we first set out to pilot GPS tags on headstarted Curlew back in 2021, little did we realise the level of insight we would gain into a previously poorly understood period of most birds’ lives. Wild juveniles and immature Curlew are hard to track with biologging technology, simply because at point of fledge (when
Headstarting involves collecting eggs from wild nests, rearing the eggs and hatched chicks in captivity, then releasing chicks back into the wild when they are of fledging age. It has been successfully employed as a conservation strategy for other wader species like Black-tailed Godwit and Spoon-billed Sandpiper. Several Curlew headstarting projects are underway in lowland
Curlews breed across Europe in grassland, heathland and bog habitats, but are among the most threatened of European breeding bird species. As a result, they are the focus of a suite of conservation interventions across the continent, such as the improvement of grassland nesting habitats, and the protection of nests and chicks from predators and
Sunday 25th May was a very exciting day with six curlew chicks hatching! Carswell (YJ) and his brooder mate Circe (XY) had hatched out overnight and were discovered by staff at 5am. Carswell was one of our smallest chicks; named by staff at RAF Waddington, where the clutch of eggs he came from were found,
The first crop of 2023 young Curlew have started hatching this week at Pensthorpe, but what about the fortunes of birds released in previous years? Sam Franks at BTO has been leading the post-release monitoring for the project and provides an update. In 2021, 79 young Curlew were released in Norfolk along the shores of