Three Curlew chicks have successfully fledged from Bragan, Co Monaghan, under the observation of the Curlew Action Team in the county.
"What we have seen in Monaghan is a really positive collaboration between farmers, landowners and the action team in effort to conserve the Curlew," head of agri-ecology with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Dr Barry O'Donoghue told the Irish Farmers Journal.
Just six mating pairs remain in the county, with three new chicks serving as a positive boost to the struggling population. The team in Co Monaghan is hoping for three chicks or more to be hatched every year.
Population decline
O’Donoghue said: “The birds mate for life and currently it is proving nearly impossible for them to rear their young in the wild, leading to a severe population decline.
“In the 1980s, there were over 5,000 of the birds in Ireland. The Curlew population has declined by 96%, the equivalent human depopulation would be if we remove everyone except those in Cork city from the country.”
Department funding
In 2020, the Curlew Conservation Programme gained funding from the Department of Agriculture. A total of nine conservation sites are monitored by the NPWS. According to a national survey conducted in 2017, just 128 breeding pairs remain in the wild.
O’Donoghue continued: “Modernisation of agriculture has had a huge impact with drainage of bog land, early silage seasons and afforestation being the primary contributors.
“With this said, farmers and landowners should be seen as part of the solution and have greatly assisted our conservation efforts. Areas of land have been fenced off and measures taken to reduce the threat from predators.”
Read more
NPWS investigate death of protected species
Sailing to salvation: curlews given fighting chance on Lough Erne
Lack of action will see the curlew become extinct in 10 years - report
Three Curlew chicks have successfully fledged from Bragan, Co Monaghan, under the observation of the Curlew Action Team in the county.
"What we have seen in Monaghan is a really positive collaboration between farmers, landowners and the action team in effort to conserve the Curlew," head of agri-ecology with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Dr Barry O'Donoghue told the Irish Farmers Journal.
Just six mating pairs remain in the county, with three new chicks serving as a positive boost to the struggling population. The team in Co Monaghan is hoping for three chicks or more to be hatched every year.
Population decline
O’Donoghue said: “The birds mate for life and currently it is proving nearly impossible for them to rear their young in the wild, leading to a severe population decline.
“In the 1980s, there were over 5,000 of the birds in Ireland. The Curlew population has declined by 96%, the equivalent human depopulation would be if we remove everyone except those in Cork city from the country.”
Department funding
In 2020, the Curlew Conservation Programme gained funding from the Department of Agriculture. A total of nine conservation sites are monitored by the NPWS. According to a national survey conducted in 2017, just 128 breeding pairs remain in the wild.
O’Donoghue continued: “Modernisation of agriculture has had a huge impact with drainage of bog land, early silage seasons and afforestation being the primary contributors.
“With this said, farmers and landowners should be seen as part of the solution and have greatly assisted our conservation efforts. Areas of land have been fenced off and measures taken to reduce the threat from predators.”
Read more
NPWS investigate death of protected species
Sailing to salvation: curlews given fighting chance on Lough Erne
Lack of action will see the curlew become extinct in 10 years - report
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