Stone Curlew
Surfbirds News: RSPB Archives
Stone-curlew
across Hampshire and neighbouring counties this year, four times higher than when work with the bird began in the 1980s.
RSPB Stone-curlew project manager Phil Sheldrake said: 'While we witnessed other species having a hard time this summer, the Stone-curlews proved their toughness. They made the most of the softer soil, feasting on normally hard-to-reach food which had down-pours had brought to the surface.'
Stone Curlew © William Bowell, from the surfbirds galleries
He added: 'It's a heartening sight watching stone-curlew chicks making short work of earthworms which were often longer than the birds themselves! Some of the chicks gained weight as much as 25% faster than normal – all thanks to the poor summer we had.'
Despite the good news, conditions are becoming increasingly grim for Stone-curlews and fellow migrants such as whitethroats and reed warblers.
A shift in EU policy means land designated as 'set aside' – on which crops cannot be grown – will be scrapped next year. Ten per cent of the region's Stone-curlews currently nest on such areas and, with no plans to find an alternative, these already threatened birds could face a bleak future.
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