Keeping track – the migrating curlew.

Curlew head to upland moors for summer breeding. Later, they head for lowland areas which are often wetlands and/or coastal areas.

This past Spring two curlew were tagged in the Weadale uplands as part of a larger project that hopes to link curlew breeding populations in the North of England and Scotland with their respective wintering grounds.

CAPTION: One of the curlew, ringed and tagged as part of the study. Bird handling and tagging was conducted by a licensed professional. The status of all tagged birds is reported to the licensing body (BTO).

The project is focusing on understanding migration strategy, site connectivity and other factors. The tags may also provide some complementary data on brood rearing movements and habitat choice. Interestingly brood data will arise only where tagged male birds have been tagged - females usually leave the brood shortly after hatching, and the males are left to handle the parental duties.

Within the project, most of the English tags have been deployed in Northumberland, the Forest of Bowland, and a small number of additional tags in Teesdale.

Since being tagged in Spring, the two birds have already made their summer migrations. One has headed to Luce Bay, and could yet make a hop to Northern Ireland. The other is on Anglesey. This is very consistent with the pattern of previous tagged curlew - a high proportion winter in Northern Ireland or Ireland (both east and west coasts), and the remainder use either the Solway Firth, North Wales, or Morecambe Bay.

The curlew never head to the east coast of England, despite its proximity.

The tagged curlew were also colour-ringed, so that they are easily recognisable even from a distance. This provides a means of identifying a curlew if/when they return to their breeding location, even if their tag has been shed.

Ongoing monitoring of tagged individuals is important to ensure there are no negative welfare implications of tagging. If the colour-ringed curlew are seen by members of the public, please send details of your sighting. The status of all tagged birds is reported to the licensing body (BTO), and the colour-rings are an additional way of keeping an eye on the tagged birds and gathering information on their well-being.