Curlews along the Irish coastline are showing a positive trend, with the highest number of young fledged into the wild since 2017, according to a State conservation programme.
A total of 38 breeding pairs have been confirmed in the nine geographical areas of the programme – an increase of twelve pairs on last year.
Nationally, there are just 100 breeding pairs remaining in Ireland.
However, conservation efforts are having a “positive impact” on the curlew population, according to national breeding surveys.
The call of the large native wading bird, with long legs and a long down-curved bill, was once synonymous with the Irish landscape and has inspired song, poetry and stories.
The wader was once very widespread, even up to 30 years ago, but has since suffered a 98% crash in population, primarily due to changes in landscape and land-use.
A report issued during the final year of a dedicated conservation programme documents 42 chicks reaching fledgling stage in 2023, which is up from 19 in 2022.
The annual report of the Curlew Conservation Programme (CCP), a partnership between the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, says this represents an increase of 221% in the number of chicks fledged.
“Our history, culture and communities have such a deep connection with this precious species and its unique call, heard for centuries on our meadows and wetlands,” Minister of State for Heritage Malcolm Noonan has said.
“The work pioneered by the Curlew Conservation Programme over the past seven years shows that there are practical conservation efforts that we can take to stave off extinction of the curlew.,” he said.
“ It also shows that we need to ramp these efforts up significantly, while also addressing wider land use changes. We will be announcing detailed plans to do just this in the very near future, building on the solid foundations that the Curlew Conservation Programme has provided,” he said.
He paid tribute to local communities, farmers and landowners for supporting efforts.
As ground nesting birds, curlews are vulnerable to predators, infield operations and disturbance. This is compounded by degradation and loss of habitat in landscapes.
The Curlew Conservation Programme was established in response to a national survey, which identified the scale of the loss and action required to save it from extinction.
In Ireland, the curlew population has declined by 98% since the late 1980s/early 1990s.
Over the past seven years, NPWS has worked together with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to support local teams on the ground on a wide range of conservation activities.
It was estimated in 2016 that the curlew had just ten years left until extinction in Ireland, but the efforts of the Curlew Conservation Programme appear to have, for now, helped stave off this extinction, Noonan’s department has said.
Curlew Conservation Programme areas include the Stacks Mountains (Kerry), Lough Corrib North (Galway). Lough-Ree (Roscommon Westmeath), North Roscommon/Mayo, Mid-Leitrim, North Monaghan, Donegal, Sliabh Aughties (Clare Galway), Laois/Kildare.