The Curlew Recovery Project is focused on action by a partnership of organisations working closely with farmers to increase the breeding success of our remaining Curlews, across a network of sites in theUpper Thames. Over the past five years (2021-2025) our partners have developed a fantastic team of volunteers who were able to find 111 Curlew nests - protecting each of them from mammalian predators with a temporary electric fence. At least61 young Curlew are known to have fledged in this period, the vast majority from protected nests.
The Curlew’s wonderful ‘bubbling’ call is one of the most evocative sounds of springtime in meadows and pastures across Oxfordshire. Something we cherish, but which is sadly under threat. The Curlew is arguably the most pressing bird conservation priority in the UK, where nearly half the breeding population has been lost over the last 25 years and where range contraction has seen Curlews disappear from many traditional sites.
Watch our 'Curlew River' film which explores the work of farmers and volunteers to help our wonderful Curlews as well as highlighting the fabulous ancient meadows and wet grassland habitats that they inhabit in our area.
If you would like to support our work, you can donate to the curlew project here
• Changes to the management of their grassland breeding sites such as earlier hay or silage cuts, greater use of fertilisers and faster growing grasses.
• An increase in the numbers of generalist predators, including Foxes, Badgers, and avian predators such as Buzzards and Red Kites.
• Increased human disturbance, including from dogs.
• Developments including new housing and infrastructure are encroaching on some Curlew breeding sites.
• Increasing frequency of spring floods can cause the abandonment of nests.
Wild Oxfordshire provides vital support to our Curlew Recovery partner organisations - co-ordinating action, developing new initiatives and sharing best practise. This partnership currently comprises RSPB, Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust, Natural England, Environment Agency, River Thame Conservation Trust, Freshwater Habitats Trust and Banbury Ornithological Society.
We also provide training for volunteers, promote Curlew conservation through communications and organise the supply of fencing kits. We also link into national working groups, including the Curlew Recovery Partnership for England.
In late 2025 we made an appeal to supporters to raise funds for the next phase of our Curlew Partnership via a Crowdfunder. This was incredibly successful, raising over £50,000 in two months thanks to the generosity of many individuals and match funds from Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment (TOE), Aviva Community Fund and BA Better World Community Fund. This funding enables us to continue this vital work for the next two years, and includes the establishment of a Curlew Capital Works fund in collaboration with TOE, which directly supports habitat provision by farmers to improve the likelihood of Curlews breeding successfully and fledging chicks. The first grants will be made in 2026.
For the past two years Wild Oxfordshire has participated in a national ‘Curlew Solutions Trial’, led by the British Trust for Ornithology and funded by Natural England.
This initiative aimed to improve our understanding of curlew breeding in grasslands and to provide evidence of the effectiveness of conservation efforts to policy makers. Spread across 5 sites in England–Yorkshire Dales, Shropshire Hills, Breckland, Severn and Avon Vales and the Upper Thames - the project included consultation with stakeholders through workshops, a review of the potential impact of conservation efforts on Curlew populations and novel research to assess what influences breeding success across project landscapes.
With fieldwork now complete, the data is being analysed by BTO scientists, and we await their findings with great interest. A big thank you to our fieldworkers who worked diligently to collect a wealth of data.
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