Eurasian Curlew

The status of Curlew in Britain, whose shores hold around a quarter of the world population, is a real concern. The British population has fallen by nearly 70% since 1970 and the population estimate in 2016 by APEP4 was 58,500 in Britain, 30,000 of these in England; the British total is roughly a quarter of the global population.  In Lincolnshire there is a small breeding population largely confined to the west of the county. The Atlas confirmed them as breeding in six 10km squares and estimated 30-50 pairs in the late 1980s. The BTO Atlas 2007-2011 confirmed breeding in 11 10km squares suggesting an increase in range. The current figure is likely to be 10-50 pairs. There is a strong autumn passage particularly on The Wash in July-August and the birds begin their moult immediately after arrival, completing the moult mid-October to early November. The Atlas estimated the wintering population at 3,000-4,000 birds. During 2014-2018 LBR tables indicate the average wintering population was at least 3,200 with a range from 1900 (2017) to 3600 (2014). These birds probably come from Scandinavia and Russia so hopefully this indicates the eastern population is more stable than the British one.