Photo: Curlew by Peter Hassett, Draycote Water 1 March 2017
Jenny Mercer has been trying to get reports together of local curlew sightings but as they are sadly few and far between it has not been an easy task. However, she has produced this report below and I have added information provided by Martin Kincaid, Kenny Cramer and Linda Murphy. Thank you for all of you who contributed and keep the information coming in for 2022 and hopefully we can give an update at the end of the year.
Julie Lane
Jenny Mercer (11 January 2022)
It has been a disappointment to me that so few reports of Curlew reached me in North Bucks in 2021. However, thanks to my interest being rekindled by Mary Colwell’s book Curlew Moon– which I reviewed for the April 2020 edition of the Magpie, I have found my way onto web-based events on Waders and have kept updated nationally from the charity Curlew Action website https://www.curlewaction.org founded by Mary Colwell.
Locally within Milton Keynes reports reached me of one curlew which called in at Willen Lake for a few days and another curlew was heard then briefly seen by Julie Lane at Olney. Both thought to be on migration. Bucks Bird Club may have recorded other sightings.
Two nature reserve sites, not too far from Milton Keynes, have had curlew attempting to breed in 2021. They are located in the Upper Ray river valley, a tributary of the Thames river system: BBOWT’s Gallows Bridge reserve and the RSPB’s Otmoor reserve
The update from Gallows Bridge is of failure to breed in 2021, though there was one nest which was predated this year. There is a proposal to protect any nests next year with some kind of security system. One of our members saw three curlews at Gallows Bridge, lucky man! I hope to get over there at the end of February/early March this year when the curlews return and start displaying.
Martin Kincaid (24th November 2021)
I haven’t seen or heard a curlew in MK for quite some time. They were semi-regular at Manor Farm/FPF when it was being excavated and I saw 2 or 3 not long after it was opened as a nature reserve, but none for about 4 years. I think Willen is the only other local site where I have seen them.
Kenny Cramer (23rd November 2021)
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a curlew in Milton Keynes! Looking at goingbirding.co.uk, I found two reports from Willen Lake in the last year, on 11th March and 13th July.
Linda Murphy – updates from volunteers meetings, RSPB Otmoor:
Curlew Update 2019
The curlew project continued to monitor breeding birds in the core areas of the Upper Thames Tributaries. Where breeding pairs were identified attempts were made to locate their nests. In total 15 nests were found, of which 11 were on the Otmoor basin. On the Otmoor Basin 5 nests hatched, two nests were predated by badger and the other 4 failed. Two of the nests were successfully protected with electric fencing. Five fledged birds were recorded on the Otmoor basin which was then the most ever recorded.
Curlew update 2021
13 nests were located altogether (3 were probably re-lays after initial failure)
8 nests were fenced to keep out predators (6 hatched)
5 nests were unfenced (2 hatched)
9 curlew chicks fledged compared to 6 in 2020 and 5 in 2019. So considered a good level of success this year. This improving result has attracted interest from reserves in other parts of the country.
The volunteers managed to ring three chicks (apparently it is extremely hard to catch them…) and the rings have small ‘flags’ attached with letters, HP, HY, HA, nicknamed after plants on the moor – Pepper (after Pepper Saxifrage); Yarrow; Angelica.
Pepper has already been sighted on the west coast of Ireland in Co Kerry. They had not expected that the chicks dispersed so far.
As birds tend to return to and favour similar breeding places, they hope the numbers breeding in the area will gradually increase.
Curlew are a major focus for land management work being carried out on the land tenancy the RSPB have taken over from the MOD, and will be a focus for the land they hope to buy through the Otmoor appeal.
https://www.rspb.org.uk/join-and-donate/donate/appeals/Otmoor-Land-Purchase-Appeal/
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AawqFGEk6M