There has been some encouraging news for Curlews across the upland landscapes of Ysbyty Ifan and Hiraethog this summer, as the The Curlews Call project recorded its highest number of breeding pairs since monitoring began.
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For many people, the bubbling call of the Curlew is one of the most welcome signs that spring has returned. Yet despite being one of our most cherished upland birds, Curlew numbers have dropped by roughly 80% since 1990. This year's results, however, offer real encouragement and reflect the hard work of farmers, landowners, volunteers and conservationists working together to secure a brighter future for Curlews across the uplands of Ysbyty Ifan and Hiraethog.
The project recorded an estimated 55 breeding pairs across the project area, up from 41 breeding pairs in 2025.
For everyone involved in the project, these figures provide a welcome boost and offer hope that Curlews can continue to recover across these upland landscapes. While the species remains a significant conservation concern, the increase in breeding pairs suggests that efforts to improve conditions for Curlews across the project area are having a positive impact.
A key part of the project's work involves locating breeding pairs of Curlews and protecting their nests during the vulnerable nesting period.
This season, project staff and volunteers found 21 Curlew nests. Of these, 19 were protected using temporary electric fencing, while two were located within existing permanent predator-proof fencing. As a result, every nest located during the season was protected.
Protecting nests from predation and disturbance gives eggs the best chance of hatching successfully, and the efforts of staff, volunteers, and land managers played an important role in this year's encouraging results.
Of the 21 nests found, 17 hatched at least one chick, resulting in an overall hatching success rate of 80.95%. While breeding Curlews still face many challenges once their chicks have hatched, achieving a high hatching rate is an important step towards increasing populations in the long term.
Although hatching success was encouraging, the period between hatching and fledging remains to be the most challenging stage of a Curlew's life cycle.
Curlew populations are generally thought to require around 0.5 fledged chicks per breeding pair each year to halt long-term declines. Project monitoring recorded eight fledged chicks during the 2026 season, which produced a productivity figure of 0.33 fledged chicks per breeding pair.
A reminder of the many challenges our young Curlews face as they grow, including predation, a lack of suitable habitat, adverse weather conditions and finding enough food and shelter during their first few weeks of life.
The project team will continue to work closely with farmers, land managers and volunteers to build on the successes achieved so far and improve the chances of young Curlews surviving to fledging.
These results would not have been possible without the support of the many people who contribute to the project each year. Farmers, landowners, volunteers and local communities all play an important role in helping the Curlews of the North Wales Moors.
The increase in breeding pairs and encouraging hatching success show what can be achieved when people come together to support them and the habitats they depend on. However, there is still much more to do to reverse the long-term decline of this iconic species in Wales.
As the project looks ahead to next season, we are keen to hear from anyone who would like to get involved. Whether you are interested in volunteering, helping with surveys, attending events or you’re a local farmer wondering how you can help, your support can make a real difference.
If you'd like to support Curlew conservation across Ysbyty Ifan and Hiraethog, we'd love to hear from you. To find out more about the project, our volunteering opportunities or our events, please contact the Cri'r Gylfinir / The Curlews Call team at crigylfinir@rspb.org.uk.
The Curlew's Call has been made possible with funding from National Lottery players through The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Nature Networks Fund, delivered in partnership with the Welsh Government.
