The haunting cry of the curlew may disappear from the Irish countryside’

The haunting cry of the curlew is known as the sound of the Irish countryside but the bird is now in danger of becoming extinct in Ireland.

The two-note call of the beautiful wading bird has been the soundtrack to a string of Irish films but now experts believe they could be completely wiped due to their natural wetland nesting grounds disappearing.

Birdwatch Ireland has released unpublished figures which show how the bird’s numbers have suffered a catastrophic crash of over 12,000 pairs in 1990 to just a few hundred pairs today.

Development officer with Birdwatch Ireland Niall Hatch said he was shocked when he realised the dramatic drop in the numbers while compiling the yet-to-be released Bird Atlas.

He said: “If something isn’t done this bird will be gone from Ireland in a decade. It is extremely shocking. We have seen a catastrophic decline while looking at the statistics for the new Bird Atlas.

“It has spent the past two decades plummeting more rapidly than pretty much any other bird in Ireland.

“There is only very sporadic breeding now. The curlew has been added to the endangered list. It was once so common, such an abundant bird.

“It would be a crying shame to see such an evocative bird disappear form Ireland. It is the sound of the Irish countryside.

“The name of the bird comes from its call. It is a very haunting sound and the real sound of the Irish wilderness which has been in many films and documentaries. It is a distinctive creature with its long curved bill,” he said.

The organisation is now appealing to the public to help raise €99,000 to help save the species in Ireland as part of the Cry of the Curlew Appeal.

The sharp decline was spotted by Birdwatch Ireland while compiling the Bird Atlas 2007-11, a four-year project to check on the numbers and distributions of the birds of Ireland and Britain, which will be published next year.

“In the last Atlas compiled from 1988 to 1991, there were at least 12,000 pairs, which is 24,000 individuals.

“It seemed very secure here 20 years ago. In biological terms, 20 years is just the blink of an eye. Now there are just a few hundred pairs left.”

He said many birdwatchers may be unaware of the critical situation with curlews because there is an influx of wintering curlews to Ireland every year.

And he said despite the endangered nature of the wading birds hunting of this bird is still allowed. He said: “One of the bizarre things is it is a species that can be legally shot in Ireland. This is something which needs to be looked at and we are lobbying the Government to take the curlew off this list.”

Huge changes in the uplands, such as the destruction of peat bogs, afforestation, more intensive management of farmland have all affected their breeding habitat.

In the lowlands, drainage of wetlands and intensive management of grasslands have destroyed much of their habitat.

He said: “Their nesting grounds are disappearing because of the mono-culture of silage and the fact that grass is shorter and there is more frequent mowing.”

The fund will also devise ways of restoring their unique habitats, such as re-wetting upland areas, clearing them of gorse and scrub, and improving grazing management to benefit their breeding.

To donate to the Cry of the Curlew fund log on to www.birdwatchireland.ie.