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Caring for Curlew with Cairngorms Connect

 Thijs Claes , Curlew LIFE project officer at RSPB Scotland Insh Marshes, explores how landscape-scale restoration is impacting species like curlews. 

My role is designed to establish RSPB Scotland Insh Marshes as a site for curlew conservation excellence. There is a very worrying decline in the curlew populations throughout the UK, but this section of the Spey floodplain has remained one of the best curlew breeding sites on the Scottish mainland: a place where the population has remained stable in the last 15 years.  

Untitled design (15)Image (above): Thijs pointing out  curlews from the Insh Marshes lookout hide (left), and an adult curlew (right) Credit: Thijs Claes and rspb-images.com

There is a lot to learn about curlew locally to try and secure their future . We are interested in a couple of key questions - how many chicks are curlew producing, and how can we stabilise or even improve that number? Not an easy task, but I can feel a lot of support and engagement from the local communities.

Predation pressures from generalist predators are often too high to maintain a stable curlew population  in the UK. It limits both the number of pairs that produce chicks and prevents even more chicks from reaching adulthood. Unfortunately, in the short term, predation management such as diversionary feeding, exclusion fences and targeted predator control are a necessary part of the answer for the future of curlew in many areas.

The inspiration for a more nuanced and more effective long-term solution can be found in the wider landscape. What if our landscapes create a bigger challenge for predators to find and catch curlew? Predators would need to find new feeding areas and discover different access points every couple of years in a more dynamic environment. What if more habitats supporting large densities of ground nesting waders are in good condition? Large flocks of parent birds could easily deter a stoat, crow or even a fox from coming close to a nest. What if the risk of extreme weather events is reduced in the future and our landscapes and habitats are more resilient against them? Less birds attempting to breed in the floodplain would get caught out by a summer flood, and their offspring would find suitable breeding grounds in the areas where they have been raised themselves.


thijs2Image (above): Insh Marshes in flood. At the right time of year, frequency and amplitude, floods are a crucial part of the ecosystem, creating dynamic open wetland habitats where curlew thrive. Credit: Thijs Claes. 

This is a message that the Cairngorms Connect partnership clearly understands. Its 200-year vision injected an enormous enthusiasm and hands on approach to ecosystem restoration across the project area. The benefits for curlews today and in the future are difficult to overestimate.

Restored peatlands and extensive, ancient, upland woodlands will flatten out peak flows in the river systems, saving curlew nests from flooding during heavy rainfall events. By locking up large amounts of carbon these habitats also significantly contribute towards our global fight against the cause of floods with more dramatic results, climate change. Of course, our own houses and infrastructure will be protected indiscriminately.

A river well connected with its floodplain creates exactly the varied and dynamic habitats I alluded to earlier. This causes the generalist predators headaches, or rather, empty stomachs. Simultaneously, these wetland habitats support the highest densities of ground nesting waders. I have witnessed an otter quickly regretting his decision to trespass a healthy area of the floodplain, stuffed with dutiful wader parents defending their chicks.

thijs3 

Image (above): Insh Marshes in mist. Credit: Thijs Claes. 

It is easy to get lost in the wonders of Cairngorms Connect’s vision, but I can also feel its resources and networks make an impact on the delivery of the Curlew LIFE project today. It has already enabled me to reach out to local people and provide meaningful interactions between people and nature in our landscape. The opportunity to source from the vast expertise in research ecology, land management and habitat functioning within the partnership has provided me with the ability to find creative solutions to the same old challenges as well. The best thing we can do for curlew locally, and nature as a whole, is provide opportunities for people to fall in love with places like Insh Marshes.

On a more personal level, I continuously get inspired by all the people in the area working tirelessly to see a positive change on a large scale. Since the start of Cairngorms Connect, I have already seen a lot of results, changing the wider landscape for the better. The longest living curlew on record is more than 30 years old. I am optimistic that the curlews I am looking after today, and their offspring, will be taking advantage of the improved landscape and habitats over their lifetime.

You can find out more at Thijs's drop-in Curious Curlew mornings, Tuesdays 9am-10.30am on 5+19 Apr, 3+17 May, 7+21 Jun, 5+19 July at the Insh Marshes lookout hide. 

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