"Citizen scientists" called on to help save the Curlew

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) have come up with a novel plan to help bring one of Ireland’s most iconic birds – the Curlew – back from the brink of extinction.

They want members of the public “citizen scientists” to report any sightings of the rare bird directly to them under their Curlew Conservation Programme which has identified nine hotspots for Curlew breeding, including Lough Ree.

Between now and June, the NPWS is encouraging members of the public to look for breeding Curlew in bogs, pastures, meadows and other open and wet habitats in nine hotspots around the country, and to report any sightings to their team of staff working on the Curlew Conservation Programme.

Minister for Heritage and Electoral Reform. Malcolm Noonan TD, described the novel initiative as “a fantastic way for people across the country to get to know the wild places in their county and, at the same time, to contribute to the conservation of one of the most iconic and best-loved birds, the Curlew.”

The Minister said he would like to encourage “all budding citizen scientists, young and old, to get involved” and to help the Curlew Conservation Programme team to gather the important data which will support the on-going protection of the Curlew.

The Curlew Conservation Programme has been collaborating with landowners in Lough Ree, and eight other key areas around the country, since 2017 in an effort to halt the decline of a bird whose numbers have decreased by 96% over a 30 year period.

Curlew occur in flocks around many Irish coasts in winter, but the vast majority are migrants, with only one in every thirty birds actually breeding in Ireland in Spring.

The NPWS are currently working on the 2021 National Breeding Curlew Survey which will provide an update on the previous survey from 2015, and they say it is vital that everyone along the banks of Lough Ree and other locations contact them immediately if they spot breeding Curlew in their area.

There are three ways to submit records to the NPWS:

By e-mail to: nationalcurlewsurvey@gmail.com

By phone to the survey coordinator on 083 1048000

Online at: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/QRLHR7B