A group of curlews has been set free in a nature reserve located in Kent as part of a significant conservation initiative aimed at bringing back the numbers of one of the UK’s most at-risk shorebirds.
Twenty-five young birds, born and raised in captivity at Elmley Nature Reserve on the Isle of Sheppey, have grown into adults and are now flying freely in their new environment.
The launch is part of a broader initiative designed to revive reproductive groups in regions where they have disappeared.
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Simon Higgs, who was responsible for their care and witnessed the release, stated: “I’m absolutely thrilled. It couldn’t have been smoother. All the birds we released are flying wonderfully.”
In the last four decades, numbers of the Eurasian curlew, recognized by its unique long, downward-curving beak and melancholic sound, have significantly decreased, especially in southern England and Ireland.
The birds, which build their nests on the ground, face threats from predators like foxes and stoats.
Philip Merricks, a farmer, property owner, and environmentalist, stated that raising the birds in captivity “offers the young curlew a chance.”
The eggs were gathered from nests located in North Yorkshire, which were in precarious locations like near walking trails.
They spent three weeks there in incubation before being moved to Kent.
The young birds were subsequently raised in custom-built enclosures prior to being set free at the age of eight weeks. A different group is scheduled to be released next week.
This is the third consecutive year that curlews have been raised and released in this manner at the reserve, but even though they can now be seen at Elmley, they have not yet started breeding there.
Warden Simon Ginnaw stated that curlews typically go back to their birthplace to lay their eggs as a method of ensuring survival.
He stated, “They start reproducing at three years of age; the project has been ongoing for three years, so next year, 2026, we hope the first birds will return and begin breeding here.”
The sanctuary is requesting individuals to notify them of any sightings, along with images of the unique bands that have been placed on the birds’ legs.
The rings contain inscriptions that can assist specialists in tracking the birds’ distribution.
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