Welsh Curlew Conference next January - call to arms.

We have just received this missive from Mary Colwell who devotes her life to reversing the decline in Eurasian Curlews Numenius arquata across the British Isles having set up conferences in Ireland and England. 

Eurasian Curlew; Numenius arquata. A species in trouble.

She now has her sights on doing another conference, this time in Wales, but she cannot do it alone, so she is after a little help... read on.

Welsh Curlew Conference – 24^th January 2018

Call for information and interest

Curlew used to be common throughout Wales, thousands bred on the mountains, fields and valleys and were part of Welsh life. From the 1980s numbers of breeding birds plummeted and a recent estimate puts breeding pairs at around 600.

On 24^th January 2018, a day conference will be held (venue to be confirmed) which will bring together people who have an interest in Curlew – farmers, landowners, conservationists, politicians and bird watchers. We will explore what work is being done for Curlew in Wales and what practically needs to happen to bring them back.

For those in Wales I would be very grateful if you could let me know the following: 

Is anyone in your area working on Curlew?

·      Do you have members that would be interested in attending this conference?

·         Do you have historical records of the numbers of Curlew that bred in your area, and the present situation?

I would be very grateful for your help and please reply to:

mary@curlewmedia.com

Mary Colwell

Mary is a producer and writer on nature and the environment.  In April/May 2016 she walked 500 miles across Ireland, Wales and England to raise awareness about the decline of the Eurasian curlew, a much loved and endangered bird. The walk resulted in two curlew conferences.  Ireland in November 2016, which resulted in the setting up of a Curlew Task Force, and Slimbridge in February 2017, from which the Southern Curlew Forum was created.  Her website: www.curlewmedia.com

Irish Curlew Conference, Higginstown 2016
(Mary Colwell pictured centre front in grey)

Slimbridge Curlew Conference 2017
(Mary Colwell pictured standing centre front in blue, flanked by the Wader Quest delegation.)