Curlew Headstarting Projects: England

In this blog, conservationists will share their experiences and insights from headstarting projects taking place in England. Presentations will cover local population trends, the motivations behind their initiatives, and the duration of these projects. Presentations will also showcase examples of indoor and outdoor facilities, address veterinary considerations, and provide updates on post-release monitoring and survival rates (where these are available).

• Curlew Recovery Partnership
• Curlew Fieldworker Toolkit

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Curlew Country (Shropshire)

Amanda Perkins (Curlew Country)

Based in the Shropshire Hills and Welsh Border, Curlew Country has been working closely with local land managers, volunteers, as well as the wider community to deliver real landscape-scale conservation in a short time frame. The presentation will discuss the Curlew Country journey to headstarting, a bit about the procedure and what they know so far.

Amanda Perkins designed and leads the Curlew Country initiative. Curlew Country is a comparatively small independent curlew recovery organisation operative since 2015.

Further Info

• Curlew Country
• Curlew Country headstarting videos
• Keeper of the Call short film
• Chick release video
• Curlew Country Instagram
• Curlew Country Facebook
• Curlew Country YouTube

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Severn & Avon Vale and Dartmoor Projects

Eric Heath (Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust)

With multiple partners including the government conservation agency (Natural England), WWT has been involved in an initiative to test the use for headstarting of curlew eggs that are licensed for destruction because they are a risk to aviation safety. Initially, WWT ran a trial in the Severn Vale during 2019, aiming to test the potential of headstarting to improve the fortunes of a small (~35 pair) and declining curlew population in an area of lowland floodplain grassland. From 2021, WWT has been a partner in a project to restore curlew populations in a farmed upland area in Dartmoor National Park, where the habitat is in restoration but the curlew population has reached critically low levels. We report on experience and results to date.

Eric Heath is the Senior Project Manager (Species Recovery) for WWT and leadatheir species conservation work. At the moment this is focused primarily in the smooth running of the various Curlew conservation projects they are involved in whilst also looking at the future of our Black-tailed Godwit and Corncrake projects. He sits in the UK Programmes team but work closely with Conservation Evidence, the Breeding Conservation Unit and the Reserves teams. His role is also forward looking, identifying and developing new species conservation projects. Eric has been working in the environmental sector for almost 20 years now. This has included roles as an ecological and arboricultural consultant. He has also worked as the Head of Land Management for Avon Wildlife Trust, a Senior Conservation Officer for Natural Resources Wales and a Planning ecologist for South Gloucestershire Council.

Further Info

• Severn & Avon Vale Project
• Dartmoor Project

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East of England Curlew Recovery Project

Dr Katharine Bowgen (British Trust for Ornithology)
Chrissie Kelley (Pensthorpe Conservation Trust)

The East of England Curlew Recovery Project is working in Norfolk to take eggs from airbases that were scheduled for destruction and rearing them for release as headstarted curlews. Their movements following release are monitored in the hope of seeing them return to breeding areas in Norfolk.

Dr Katharine Bowgen is a Senior Research Ecologist with the BTO, split between BTO Cymru and the Wetland and Marine Teams. She principally works with wader populations in the UK, observing their behaviours and habitat choices through the year.

Chrissie Kelley has worked in aviculture for 30 years specialising in waterfowl and waders. She has been involved with species reintroduction projects for Eurasian cranes, corncrake and most recently, leading curlew headstarting in Norfolk UK.

Further Info

• East of England Curlew Recovery Project
• Watch the project film: ‘A Curlew Calls’
• Latest project news
• Report a colour-marked headstarted bird

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The Southern England Curlew Project

Charlie Mellor (Norfolk Estate, Sussex)
Dr Christopher J. Heward (Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust)

The GWCT and Norfolk Estate, Sussex, have been headstarting Curlews to establish a breeding curlew population on the South Downs. The aim of the South Downs project is to determine whether headstarting is an effective technique for reintroducing curlew to southern England. this talk will provide and overview of the Southern England Curlew Project to date.

Charlie Mellor is the Head Gamekeeper on the Duke of Norfolks estate at Arundel. The Estate is renowned for its farmland bird recovery project in particular Grey Partridge. They are now starting their third year of a five year curlew headstarting project.

Dr Christopher J. Heward is the Head of Wetlands Research at the GWCT, and is responsible for the monitoring of the Southern England Curlew Project.

Further Info

• Southern England Curlew Project