Wh Where have ve our r curlew rlew gone? e? James - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Wh Where have ve our r curlew rlew gone? e? James Pearce-Higgins Director of Science British Trust for Ornithology

Trailing bubbles of music over the squelchy hillside… music as desolate, as beautiful as your loved places, mountainy marshes and glistening mudflats by the stealthy sea… Norman Alexander MacCaig (1910-1996)

O, Curlew, cry no more in the air, Or only to the water in the West Because your crying brings to my mind Passion-dimmed eyes and long heavy hair That was shaken out over my breast: There is enough evil in the crying of wind. W.B. Yeats (1865-1939)

A ta tale le of of los oss Over the past 20 years, the UK has lost half its breeding curlew In Ireland, only 500 pairs may remain

A group oup prone one to to exti tinct nction? ion? Long-billed Far Eastern Eurasian curlew Whimbrel curlew curlew Bristle-thighed Slender-billed Eskimo curlew Little curlew curlew curlew

Curlew lew in th the Brit itish ish Isl sles es

Curlew lew in th the Brit itish ish Isl sles es

The stead eady y lo loss s of Curle lew in in the Brit itish ish Isle les

78% range e contractio raction n in in Irelan land, d, 17% in in Brit itain ain

Reasons for decline: habitat bitat ch change ange • Grazing • Grassland improvement • Agricultural intensification • Bog drainage & peat extraction • Vegetation change

Reasons for decline: habitat bitat ch change ange • Afforestation – displacement – edge effects – predator sources Douglas et al. 2014 J Applied Ecology

Reasons for decline: predation edation pressure ssure

Reasons for decline: predation edation pressure ssure • Gamebird % annual change in breeding abundance management – predator control Fletcher et al. 2010 J Applied Ecology

Reasons for decline: predation edation pressure ssure • Gamebird management – predator control Douglas et al. 2014 J Applied Ecology

Reasons for decline: cl climate imate ch change ange Projected decline of > 60% due to a warmer & drier climate Renwick et al. 2012 Diversity & Distributions

Where have Wh ve our r Habi bitat tat Clim imat ate curlew rlew gone? e? change ange change ange Predat dation ion pr pressur ssure

Effe fect ct on cu curle lew w Vari riab able abundanc dance − Arable farming − Afforestation Semi-natural + grassland Summer − temperatures Crow & fox − abundance Gamebird + abundance − Strip burning

Effe fect ct on cu curle lew w Vari riab able abundanc dance − Arable farming − Afforestation Semi-natural + grassland − Temperature Crow & fox − abundance Gamebird + abundance − Strip burning

Effe fect ct on cu curle lew w Vari riab able abundanc dance − Arable farming − Afforestation Semi-natural + grassland − Temperature Crow & fox − abundance Gamebird + abundance − Strip burning

Effe fect ct on cu curle lew w Vari riab able abundanc dance − Arable farming − Afforestation Semi-natural + grassland − Temperature Crow & fox − abundance Gamebird + abundance − Strip burning

Effe fect ct on cu curle lew w Vari riab able abundanc dance − Arable farming − Afforestation Semi-natural + grassland − Temperature Crow & fox − abundance Gamebird + abundance − Strip burning

Effe fect ct on cu curle lew w Popula lati tion on ch change Vari riab able abundanc dance − − Arable farming − − Afforestation Semi-natural + grassland − − (rain + ) Temperature Crow & fox − − − abundance Gamebird + abundance − Strip burning − / − Elevation / peat

Effe fect ct on cu curle lew w Popula lati tion on ch change Vari riab able abundanc dance − − Arable farming − − Afforestation Semi-natural + grassland − − (rain + ) Temperature Crow & fox − − − abundance Gamebird + abundance − Strip burning − / − Elevation / peat

Where have Wh ve our r curlew rlew gone? e? Habi bitat tat Clim imat ate   change ange change ange Predat dation ion  pressur pr ssure

Habitat use & home range Location every 15 min 2000+ locations

Ha Habit itat at us use & hom home ran ange e of of w wint ntering ering cu curlew ew Graphic: Tina Smith & Nigel Hawtin

Survi urvival val in n sp space ce & ti time Changes over time? East vs. west differences in the UK?

Wor orking king local ocally ly

Wha hat ho hope fo for cur urlew? ew?

Fi Finding nding co common on gr ground ound for or a so solution ution

Ac Acknowledgements knowledgements Saman antha tha Franks ks (B (BTO) ) le led the analy lysi sis s of cu curlew w data, a, which ch has been n publish shed ed in Bird d Study dy and is a vailab able e from: m: http:/ p://www www.tandfo tandfonline. ne.com/do com/doi/ab /abs/1 s/10 .1080/0 /0006 006365 3657. 7.201 2017. 7.135 135923 9233

Ac Acknowledgements knowledgements Analy lysi sis s of BBS jo join int-funded funded by BTO/J /JNC NCC/RS C/RSPB PB and the BTO Curlew ew Appea eal Donors & s suppo porter ers of the Curlew ew Appea eal Photo cr credits its: : Paul Hillion, Derek k Belsey ey, Lucy cy Wrigh ght, t, Tom Wallis, s, John Hardi ding, g, Jill P Pakenham, ham, Pip Gull llett, , Edmund mund Fell llowes wes, , Rach chel l Taylor or, Hugh h Insley, Anne Cotton, n, John Calladi dine ne, Iain Rober erts tson on, Ruth h Walker er, , Allan Drewi witt tt, , D Waist stel ell