Curlews are very special birds, yet I suspect that most people may never have come across them, let alone actually seen or heard one.
They are very distinctive to look at, and I think, very beautiful: about the size of a pheasant, with a speckled or mottled brown and grey back, long legs and a long, downcurved bill. Their call is very haunting and plaintive – a sort of long, rising, whistle.
They like wet grasslands, but tend to breed in slightly drier farmland areas, such as river meadows, heaths and uplands. Curlews used to be commonplace across the Stroud district, especially towards the River Severn. However, they are currently a species of high conservation concern, and were added to the Red List on the UK Conservation Status report in 2021. This means that they are in the highest conservation category possible.
Sadly, they have been in decline for years, and despite a number of initiatives locally, the birds are now extremely rare across the district.
That’s why I welcome World Curlew Day (21st April), and Curlew Action’s plans to focus on Stroud.
To celebrate, Lansdown Hall are hosting a series of talks with the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Gloucestershire Naturalists’ Society and Curlew Action’s own Mary Colwell. They will be talking about the importance of the birds to our local biodiversity, and some of the exciting projects that they are working on to protect the birds and encourage them back to the district.
Very excitingly, mural artist Mark Anthony (known as ATM) is also painting a large curlew mural on one of the walls facing the clocktower in the centre of Stroud, which will be unveiled on the day. There is, of course, a cost to this, but we can all help by contributing to the fundraiser (link below).
I am especially happy that Mary is coming to Stroud. She was the driving force behind the new Natural History GCSE which the government confirmed a couple of weeks ago. I was one of a number of MPs who helped to finally get this over the line – but the credit must go to Mary and those who worked so hard over the years to get us to this point.
The new GCSE is an inspiring example of what people can achieve when we work together, despite any amount of hard work and set-backs – a big thank you to everyone involved.
