County wildlife lovers urged to step up for birds
Wildlife lovers have been encouraged to put their best foot learn more about curlews as the birds return to the area.
Curlew Country, an organisation aiming to reverse the decline of the birds, is holding a 13-mile walk in the Shropshire Hills from The Bog in Stiperstones.
The walk takes place on April 21, which is World Curlew Day between 8am and 8pm. It costs from £15.
There were concerns that recent storms may affect migration. But sightings of the birds have been welcomed with a sigh of relief.
Curlews are Britain’s largest wader, a migratory species facing sharp declines due to mounting environmental pressures and ever-growing predator levels. Britain holds around 25% of the world population of the breeding Eurasian Curlew and, since 2017, Curlew Country has been dedicated to saving this important species from local extinction.
Curlew Country will continue its work through another season in Shropshire and the Welsh borders, resuming its efforts to try and reverse their decline. The organisation says farmer support and predator control are vital to saving curlews, and offer benefits to many other species as well.
A spokesman for the organisation said: "Headstarting, taking eggs from wild nests under licence and incubating them artificially, is a temporary measure to help boost a population. The resulting chicks are then reared in captivity until they are able to fly strongly, at which point they are released back into the wild giving them a better chance of survival. Since starting this valuable work Curlew Country have released over 90 fully fledged curlew chicks, and preparations are already underway to make 2022 another successful headstarting year."
To book your place on the walk visit curlewcountry.org
