The Curlew EIP

European Innovation Partnerships

Working closely with the farming community, this project aims to develop and trial new and innovative approaches to stem the decline of the Irish breeding Curlew population

In partnership with

About the Curlew EIP

This project is a European Innovation Partnership (EIP) co-funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine under the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020.  BirdWatch Ireland has partnered with the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA), the Irish Grey Partridge Conservation Trust and Teagasc to address factors contributing to the decline of breeding Curlew in Ireland.

This project will run from April 2018 to December 2021, operating at known breeding sites in Lough Corrib, Co Galway and the South Leitrim bogs area.  It will trial pioneering measures to improve breeding outcomes on both farmland and bogs.

Co-operation

Working closely with farmers and trialing new innovative measures to protect breeding Curlew

Curlew Conservation

Numbers of breeding Curlew are now so critically low, that in addition to habitat management and restoration, predator control is an essential element in their protection

Breeding Curlew and their current conservation status

Curlew are still a regular sight along our coasts in winter, when migratory birds from northern Europe come to take advantage of our mild winters, feeding in our estuaries and wetlands in large numbers.  However, our resident breeding population is currently in danger of extinction with only 138 pairs remaining.

Find out more

The Cry of the Curlew

Knowing the call of a Curlew is a useful tool in identifying a Curlew from other wader species. Watch this video to hear the evocative sound of the Curlew

Contact us

If you would like to get in touch email Kathryn Finney, the Curlew EIP Project Manager at kfinney@birdwatchireland.ie