Online European Headstarting Workshop

Who we are

Curlew Action is a small, highly effective charity that keeps Curlews flying through our skies and calling from our marshes, moors and estuaries. This most lovely of wading birds is declining rapidly and we are here to make sure that we not only stop that decline but turn it around.  

Image by Paul Cousins

Why Curlews?

Curlews are Europe's largest wading bird and they are THE sound of Britain’s wild heart. The bubbling call in particular has inspired writers, poets, musicians, artists and folklorists from time immemorial. 

Photo by Tom Streeter. Words  from a poem by WB Yeats

Curlews bring joy to local communities in both the spring where they breed on fields and moorland, and in the winter where they can be seen on coasts and mudflats. To see a Curlew is to know the environment is healthy, they are ambassadors for a thriving natural world. 

People gather in the evenings just to watch and listen to the birds, knowing that they are a sign of hope for the future. Anyone can get involved in a variety of ways from hands-on help in the field to awareness raising and raising funds .

Photo by Mary Colwell. World Curlew Day in Gloucestershire: a community gathering to celebrate Curlews.

Why headstarting is needed

Curlews have declined in the UK by over 50% in 20 years! It is a terrible fact of modern life that these lovely birds face many problems such as the increasing effects of climate change, intensive farming, habitat loss and predation. Climate change is now an issue both on the breeding grounds and in the winter. This picture of eggs submerged under flood water demonstrates yet another pressure they have to face.

Submerged eggs after intense rain and flooding. Photo by Griet Nijs.

A conservation technique called headstarting is now being employed across England and in many countries in Europe to help keep the populations going. This technique takes wild eggs and raises them in captivity to protect them at this very vulnerable stage. Once the chicks are ready to fly  they are released back into the wild.

Additional benefits from headstarting

While the chicks are being kept safe from danger,  habitat management is being done in the wild to protect their nesting grounds by making them resilient to climate change, protecting them from high levels of predation and to mitigate against the worst techniques of farming. Headstarting is happening on Dartmoor, Norfolk, Wiltshire, Sussex, Essex and in Shropshire, and applications for licences  for more projects are increasing. To find out more about headstarting, visit our website: https://www.curlewaction.org/what-is-headstarting-and-how-does-it-help-curlews/ 

Photo by Curlew Action

If headstarting is successful, the sight of young Curlews taking to the air and joining wild flocks, ready to fight another day, is both heartwarming and hopeful.

Photo by Griet Nijs. Freshly hatched, captive-raised Curlews

Why a headstarting workshop help

In February 2025, we are hosting an online Headstarting Workshop is to bring together a range of different projects from England and across the continent to highlight what is being done, explore the different techniques used, look at the financial costs, and to share the pros and cons. With such a complicated technique there are always difficulties and unforeseen issues to deal with. By learning from each other and pooling experiences we can all help Curlews much more effectively. And by caring for Curlews we also make sure the places where they live are resilient to climate change and the many other pressures on wildlife today. 

Photo by Curlew Action. Chicks nearing fledging age

Creating a connected, effective headstarting community

By helping headstarting groups to work as best they can, and by developing a wide-ranging network of successful projects, Curlews will have a much better chance of surviving this fast-changing world. 

By rewetting fields, reducing grazing pressure and encouraging wildflowers, Curlew habitats will become carbon sinks and will benefit a wide range of other species.

Photo by Tim Melling

The joy the birds bring to the fieldworkers and to local communities, is immeasurable.

Climate change is an increasing problem for Curlew populations not just in the UK but across Europe. As we all feel the pressure from unpredictable weather we must do everything we can to protect wildlife that is already vulnerable. By helping Curlews we can benefit many species and landscapes.

REWARD: 2 NIGHT STAY IN GLAMPING POD IN LAKE DISTRICT

REWARD: MOON AND CURLEWS - HILARY KINGTON

REWARD: CURLEWS AND COTTON GRASS - HESTER COX

REWARD: CURLEW MOON, PIN BADGE, CARDS

REWARD: 2 DAVID GRAY TICKETS