RSPB and local farmers in Oxfordshire are celebrating the completion of a pilot project to protect an iconic, yet threatened wading bird.

The curlew, which makes its home throughout the Upper Thames River Valleys, is Europe’s largest wading bird. The bird is found in summer meadows or estuaries in winter. It is easily recognisable by its long, downward curved bill, brown colouring, long legs and its famous call. The birds are very secretive, and often hide in their nests, which they make in long grasses.

The birds are in serious danger of disappearing from Britain’s estuaries; numbers fell by 51% in the ten years to 2015, leaving an estimated 40 pairs in the Thames Valley region. According to RSPB, the river valleys of Oxfordshire are one of the most important areas for the vulnerable species in southern England.

In April this year, the wildlife charity gained funding for a pilot project to discover more about the breeding habits of the curlew, and investigate possible reasons behind its decline. Local farmers were recruited to help - as most curlew nesting sites are found on farmland. The pilot project involved weekly visits by volunteers to areas thought to be curlew nesting sites and, once nesting sites had been identified, monitoring work by RSPB staff, who checked temperatures and took other measurements at the nests to gain information on successful nests.

The charity also worked with farmers and contractors to restore ‘scrapes’, or seasonal pools, on certain farms. These pools provide essential feeding areas for wading birds. The pools were re-shaped to create a gentler slope, improving the amount of muddy edge and access to the food curlews love to eat, such as earthworms.

In all, six nesting sites were monitored, and chicks at at lest three of the sites hatched successfully, with a number of chicks fledging and becoming independent of their parents. The charity will have more details next spring, when surveyors will revisit the sites to monitor curlew numbers. RSPB is currently seeking funding to extend the project into 2017.

Charlotte Kinnear, local RSPB Conservation Officer, commented, “The call of the curlew is a very special part of Oxfordshire’s landscape; I’m really pleased that this project has already greatly helped us to understand the needs of this wonderful bird. We are very grateful to all involved in the project this year. It’s been great to hear from farmers just how keen they are to help the curlew, and to have had so much support from them for this project.”