If you have walked the Thames Path between Lechlade and Oxford this year, you may have been lucky enough to see a curlew. These large, long-billed wading birds with their beautiful bubbling call are quite unmistakable. But sadly, these birds are in serious decline as they are not managing to rear enough chicks each year to maintain their population. We know from monitoring data, gathered over many years, that our population of 15-20 pairs along the Thames only manages to successfully rear 3 or 4 chicks per year - no, not 3 or 4 chicks per pair, that’s 3 or 4 chicks from the entire population! One of the main reasons for this is predation of their eggs and chicks, but agricultural activities also play a part if a field is cut before the chicks can fly. Loose dogs can also contribute to predation of eggs and chicks.
If we don’t act now to help them nest successfully, this characteristic bird will not be around for future walkers of the Thames path to see. While curlew are long-lived birds, as the adults reach old age and are lost, if they haven’t managed to produce enough young, there will be no replacements to continue the population.
The Upper Thames Wader Group was formed in 2019 and we have been working hard ever since to monitor the curlew and protect their nests with electric fencing. This is helping to increase the number of chicks hatching but, once they leave the nest, protecting the chicks is not easy. Watch our film Curlew River, parts of which were filmed in the Thames side meadows, to find out more about their story and how you can help. Produced by local filmmaker Nicola Schafer, Curlew River received an honourable mention at the Oxford Shorts film festival in 2024. It is essential viewing if you are a Thames Path walker or you are interested in the Upper Thames area and its wildlife.
To find out more about the Upper Thames Curlew Recovery project visit our website at: https://www.wildoxfordshire.org.uk/projects/curlew
If you would like to get involved please contact anne.cotton@naturalengland.org.uk
Photo: Header image of the curlew flying, credit to Denis Kennedy.
Photo below: Parent curlew keeps close watch over its vulnerable chick
