Farmers have united to support a curlew restoration project in North Wales

Wrexham.com > News

Farmers have been honored for supporting the first year of a project to help the endangered bird.

Clwydian Range and Dee valley National Landscapes is participating in ‘Curlew Connections Wales’, a Curlew Recovery Wales partnership project in collaboration with Bannau Brycheiniog and GWCT.

Gylfinir Cymru, an all-Wales partnership project, aims to help breed Curlews across the country, including Denbighshire.

Curlews are critically endangered and are on the Welsh and UK Birds of Concern (BoCC) ‘red list’. More than 80 percent of the breeding population in Wales has been lost since the 1990s.

This decline is due to many reasons including habitat loss, pressures during the breeding season and the impact of predation on birds.

The Clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape is a bird conservation partnership funded by the Welsh Government through the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

These areas include large parts of Denbighshire as well as parts of Flintshire and Wrexham.

Local Curlew and People’s Officer Sam Kenyon led the project and praised the support of all farmers involved during the project’s initial breeding season.

Approximately 30 pairs of curlews were located and electric fences were erected around several nests to protect the birds and eggs from predation.

The effort of all the farmers involved to work together to give this rare animal a chance was “gratifying and made all the difference”, according to Sam.

She said: “It was truly inspiring to see neighboring farms come together to support the nests and these iconic birds found on their property.

“Several of them have taken a unified approach to protecting these vital nests and overall support for the project, which is a real commitment that I fully appreciate.

“Some of our farmers have agreed to delay cutting fodder in their fields to protect the birds, which means they have delayed access to quality feed for livestock.

“Through the project we have been able to give back to them in recognition of their valuable support with payments to offset these delays in nutrient access, which have been made possible through the Welsh Government funding we have.

“But what really stands out is how committed our farmers are to protecting this rare bird on the ground.”

Sam added: “Without their support, knowledge and observations, we would not be able to find the nests to protect and reduce the impact of predation on the eggs.

It’s been really good to work with other farmers, they’ve encouraged us to put together a team effort to protect one of Wales’ most historic birds.”

Councilor Barry Mellor, Lead Member for Environment and Transport and Biodiversity Champion at Denbighshire Council, said: “This is an important project for a bird that was once a favorite not only in Denbighshire and North Wales but across the UK.

“We are grateful that this project and funding is enabling the Clwydian Range and Dee valley national landscapes to make real progress in protecting the curlews we have and encouraging the population to survive and hopefully thrive in the future.

“We are also extremely grateful for the tremendous support given to this project by the farming community, along with a small team of volunteers who have worked with the lead worker to monitor this important animal.

“The farmers on the project have given this endangered bird a vital chance this season and we look forward to next season.”

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