Drastic decline of the curlew

People are surprised to learn that curlews are in trouble; the much-loved birds are seen and heard, particularly along the coast, in winter., writes Richard Collins

Most of the ones here, however, are migrants from Britain and mainland Europe; the Irish breeding population has almost disappeared.

We had around 5,000 nests 30 years ago but a recent survey found that only 122 breeding pairs remain. That’s a 97% decline.