This session of the European Curlew Headstarting Workshop was led by Chrissie Kelley from Pensthorpe Conservation Trust and discusses best practices for rearing chicks. Topics will include designing optimal enclosures, feeding and monitoring routines, and techniques for weighing, sexing, and ring/tagging chicks. The session will also examine the recommended timelines for keeping chicks in pens during various developmental stages. In this blog you can find the recording of Chrissie’s presentation as well as a summary of the Q&A and discussion that followed during the live conference in 2025.
Category Archives: Curlews
Curlew Headstarting: Eggs, Incubation and Hatching
This session of the European Curlew Headstarting Workshop was led by Tanya Grigg (Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust) and delved into the intricacies of egg collection, including the challenges of securing landowner permissions and ensuring donor populations remain unaffected. Discussion included innovative technologies used in incubation and hatching, exploring definitions of success, and exchange of practical solutions for common hatching issues. In this blog you can find the recording of Tanya’s presentation as well as a summary of the live Q&A and discussion that followed during the live conference in 2025.
Curlew Headstarting Projects: Europe
Curlew conservationists from across Europe present their respective curlew headstaring projects.
An Overview of Headstarting Curlews
In February 2025, Curlew Action brought together conservationists and organisations from across Europe who are involved in headstarting the European Curlew to share knowledge and discuss the feasibility and best practices of curlew headstarting projects. This blog is the first of 8 that will disseminate the presentations and outputs from this 2-day virtual event.
Biological Recording 