In 2022 and 2023, our English Uplands team aimed to better understand the pressures faced by waders in the North Pennines with the use of camera trapping technology.
Eleven wader species regularly breed in the North Pennines. Of these, curlew, lapwing, ringed plover, dunlin and woodcock are now red-listed, with more than half of the breeding populations of these birds lost since the 1970s. Predation-induced breeding success has often been cited as a cause of decline in European waders. To understand this pressure, the team deployed camera traps at 135 wader nests across 14 moorland estates, to help identify the relative impact of each predator.
Of these nests, 127 had a known fate, with 19% being predated. Of these, six were predated by badgers, five by stoats, five by sheep, one by a fox, one by a ferret, one by a black-headed gull, one by a raptor and four by unknown predators.
To identify these predators, over 2 million images were manually sorted by staff and students. One particular image stood out: a stoat predating a curlew nest, with an egg mid-air between the culprit and the victim.
Local artist, amateur gardener, and owner of Warrenfell gundogs, Fran Toulson, heard about the image and wished to paint it whilst recuperating from a major operation. She created watercolour and pastel versions, displaying them at the Fusion Art Group Exhibition in May in Stanhope, only 25 minutes’ drive from the Uplands office.
This is what Fran had to say about the image:
“The areas of moorland in the North are rich habitats for these birds, of which we are lucky to have a good number. In this picture you can see the curlew bravely trying and failing to lift its egg out of harm’s way from the stoat, which is one of a number of common vermin that predate on these birds. GWCT surveys have identified that in areas of keepered moorland where such common vermin as stoats and foxes are controlled, the breeding success of curlew is significantly higher than on unmanaged land.”
How you can help curlew today
We’re leading efforts to understand and address the factors driving curlew declines. Through research conducted by our dedicated team, we are gaining invaluable insights into the challenges facing curlews, from habitat loss to predation pressure.
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