Birdwatch Ireland reports dramatic curlew reduction

BIRDWATCH Ireland has launched a fundraiser to save Ireland’s dwindling curlew population, after a survey carried out by UCC researchers showed its population has declined by 80% since the 1970s.

The researchers found there were fewer than 200 breeding pairs left in the entire country, compared to around 5,000-plus in the 1970s. The decline is being blamed on the loss of the birds’ habitats.

According to Anita Donaghy of Birdwatch Ireland, the loss of habitat in upland areas due to commercialisation was one of the primary reasons for the decline.