A curlew released as a chick two years ago in Leitrim has settled with a mate in Co Fermanagh – the first recorded instance of a reared bird under the State’s breeding waders programme returning to establish territory.
The confirmation has been welcomed on World Curlew Day (Tuesday, April 21) by Minister for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan and Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon.
Curlews, one of our most recognisable breeding waders, have declined by 98% since the 1980s in Ireland, leaving the species at the brink of extinction.
In recent years, conservation measures have been deployed to reverse the decline of curlew and other wading birds through the Breeding Waders European Innovation Partnership (EIP) – a project funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine.
These measures include the use of “headstarting”, where curlew eggs are taken from the wild, protected and reared in a secure and safe environment until fledglings are ready to be released back into the wild.
Like many wading birds, curlew nest on the ground so their eggs and young chicks are especially vulnerable to predators. The practice of “headstarting” is a vital helping hand at a critical time in the life cycle of these birds, the programme says.
The Breeding Waders EIP confirmed that a curlew released in Co Leitrim in 2024 has been discovered at a breeding site less than 50km away in Sliabh Beagh, Co Fermanagh, where he has now settled with a mate.
“This marks the first recorded instance in Ireland of a headstarted bird returning to establish a breeding territory,”the programme says.
Minister Christopher O’Sullivan paid tribute to “all of those involved in this amazing discovery, including the Sliabh Beagh Curlew Conservation Trust, the RSPB and the Breeding Waders EIP”.
Minister Martin Heydon described it as “a testament to the hard work of all those involved, from farmers and landowners to project partners and supporters”.
Owen Murphy, Senior Project Manager, Breeding Waders EIP said that “These types of milestones are the reason many of us persevere in the challenging discipline of ground-nesting bird conservation”.
“Huge credit goes to our landowners, our project staff and our project partners who .... allow such moments to happen. We all look forward to watching this curlew’s progress as he starts his journey as a breeding adult.”
Donal Beagan, Nest Protection and Headstarting Manager, Breeding Waders EIP , said that “this is a really encouraging first sign that headstarting Eurasian Curlew is beginning to have an impact on bolstering our curlew population”.
“ I am delighted to see that this bird has chosen breeding grounds in my own local area of Sliabh Beagh and am excited to follow its journey this breeding season and beyond.”
The project team, together with stakeholders, partners and local landowners, will continue to monitor the bird throughout the breeding season and provide protection measures to bolster breeding success.
