World Curlew Day 21st April

Observe World Curlew Day and report your Curlew sightings 

21st April is World Curlew Day, after St Beuno, their patron saint. Eurasian Curlew has undergone a worrying decline as a breeding bird in the UK and Ireland during recent years, and the species has been identified as the highest conservation priority bird species in the UK. World Curlew Day acts as a timely reminder that more than 80% of the Northern Ireland Eurasian Curlew population disappeared from 1987 to 2013.

 If this trend continues, the species may become extinct as a breeding species in Northern Ireland within the next few decades. Current COVID-19 restrictions on non-essential movement mean that many fieldwork studies of breeding birds for this year are currently on hold and may have to be cancelled. Records will be very welcome for those monitoring the status of their breeding population. Therefore please keep your eyes and ears alert in your local area and enter all records on to BirdTrack (www.bto.org/our-science/projects/birdtrack/about  or use the BirdTrack App). Ronan Owens