A near-extinct species of bird is on the path to recovery following a successful initiative from Northern Ireland farmers and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB NI).
Curlews, which are identified by their long bills and haunting call, previously faced near global extinction, with its population in Northern Ireland declining by 82% since 1987.
However, following a UK-wide, four-year project called Curlew LIFE, funded by the European Commission, the species has been successful in a “remarkable increase in the breeding population”.
In Northern Ireland, the focus has been on the last remaining core areas for curlew in the Antrim Plateau and on Upper and Lower Lough Erne.
The Antrim Plateau this season saw a remarkable increase in the breeding population, which jumped from 37 pairs last year to 52 pairs this year, transforming what was once a species on the brink of extinction into a recovering population.
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Meanwhile in the Lower Lough Erne Islands Reserve, a steady 43 breeding pairs of curlew were recorded again this year across 200 hectares of lowland wet grassland.
Katie Gibb, RSPB NI’s conservation officer for the Antrim Plateau, highlighted the impact of this remarkable achievement.
“Over the course of the Curlew LIFE project, we’ve seen 202 chicks fledge, some of which have already started to return to the breeding population, resulting in a 40% increase in pairs in just one year,” she said.
“This is an incredible improvement compared to the 116 fledglings recorded between 2011 and 2020. It gives us real hope, allowing us to shift our focus from preventing extinction to managing a recovering population.”
Amy Burns, estate manager of RSPB NI’s Lower Lough Erne Islands Reserve, said: “The success across the islands on Lower Lough Erne is a testament to the incredible work of our Reserve team.
“It’s rewarding to see all our efforts pay off, with an increase in breeding pairs over the project and such strong fledging success recorded this year.
“The increase in fledglings shows that the habitat improvements we’ve made are making a real difference for the curlew.”