World Curlew Day

Created by Curlew Action director and conservationist Mary Colwell, World Curlew Day highlights the importance of protecting these precious wading birds.  

The shores and estuaries of the Northumberland Coast National Landscape provide food and refuge for hundreds of Eurasian Curlew during the colder months. Most of these wintering Curlews in the National Landscape are continental birds, breeding in Scandinavia, Finland and Russia. When spending winter on the Northumberland Coast, they are seen probing the soft mud and sand with their long bills for tasty goodies like worms or investigating the rocky shore for soft-shelled crabs. 

Although winter is over and we’re well into spring, you will still spot Curlew in the National Landscape. These are the birds gathering before they make their migration east. We do still have a small breeding population on the coast, but these have massively declined due to changes in farming practices. 

Raising awareness of the plight of the Curlew is vital due to the danger this species faces because of changes to agricultural practices, predation, climate change and disturbance from recreational visitors to the coast.  

There are eight species of curlew worldwide and two are assumed extinct. The Eskimo and the Slender-Billed have not been seen for decades. Out of the remaining six species, three - the Eurasian, the Bristle-thighed and the Far Eastern - are at risk of extinction according to the IUCN Red list of Threatened Species. 

Space for Shorebirds wildlife rangers help to protect wintering Curlews on the Northumberland Coast. 

Space for Shorebirds Ranger Katherine Dunsford said: “Curlews are such special birds and are synonymous with the Northumberland Coast, but their population is declining rapidly. World Curlew Day is an opportunity to shine a light on the work being done to protect them, from raising awareness of the importance of giving them space to feed undisturbed in the winter, to protecting their precious eggs and chicks during the breeding season." 

To mark the day, Space for Shorebirds is hosting Curlew, Coffee and Cake on Tuesday 22nd April at Boulmer Beach Car Park from 10-12pm. Enjoy free cake and hot drinks from Northumberland Coffee and join a short, guided walk to see shorebirds. Space for Shorebirds will also be joined by the RSPB to talk about the challenges Curlew face and the work being done to protect them.