After a record-breaking breeding season, there is new hope for one of Northern Ireland’s most endangered birds.
According to the RSPB NI, 69 curlew chicks were recorded in Glenwherry, County Antrim in 2022.
That is more than twice as many as nests fled there in 2021.
The curlew is critically endangered in Northern Ireland within the next decade, with populations having declined by 82% since 1987.
Farmers and landowners received habitat management advice to support the ground-nesting species.
The number of curlews returning to Glenwherry to breed has declined in recent years.
“Every chick counts for the curlew in Northern Ireland,” said RSPB Conservation Officer Katie Gibb
Katie Gibb, RSPB NI conservation officer for the area, said the 2022 results could mark a turning point.
“What this season means is that over the next five years we could return over 30 new pairs to the area to breed, which would mean a massive and healthy influx of young, fertile, new genetics for this population,” she said.
“The number of chicks we have seen fledged this year is not only encouraging, it is clear evidence that conservation works and should remain a priority in addressing the biodiversity crisis.”
“Game changer for conservation”
These conservation efforts include helping farmers adopt more nature-friendly practices through DAERA’s Environmental Farming Scheme and supporting projects like Curlews in Crisis.
Temporary electric fences have been installed around the nest sites to protect the birds from ground predators. There were also targeted measures to control the numbers of other predators.
“With the curlew in Northern Ireland, every chick really counts,” said Ms Gibb.
She said the Glenwherry team installed the highest number of targeted nesting fences – which protect nesting chicks from predators – at a single site in the UK last year.
“The fences and knowledge of the pairs we have gathered from previous seasons have been a game changer for the conservation of the curlew on our property,” she added.
She described the increase in hatchability from around 40% to 70% as “a real game changer for Antrim Plateau curlew conservation”.
Almost 8,000 hectares of the plateau, including Glenwherry and the Antrim Hills, were surveyed to find nests for surveillance.
Amy Burns said more chicks could be hatching in Lower Lough Erne but the islands’ terrain makes it difficult to monitor
In County Fermanagh, a further 11 chicks were recorded to have successfully left the nest in Lower Lough Erne RSPB NI Reserve, with four of the broods hatching on the same day on the same island.
The charity’s property manager Amy Burns said there could be more as the terrain of the islands scattered across the lough is difficult to monitor closely.
“A total of 23 pairs of curlews were recorded as juveniles in this area this season, with 18 nests found, of which 17 successfully hatched full clutches,” she said.
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