Orkney’s curlew population back on the rise as charity removes invasive species

Belfast Telegraph - 21/04
The Orcadian curlew population is on the rise following an effort to reduce the numbers of an invasive predator, experts have said.

In a report, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said on Monday that the species population has grown, after an initiative to reduce the number of stoats living on the islands came into force.

Stoats are small, carnivorous mammals that were first recorded in Orkney in 2010.

A 2017-2019 survey of wading birds in Orkney revealed that the number of curlews in the isles had declined by more than 50% when compared with the previous survey recorded from 2006-2010.

The Orkney Native Wildlife Project began removing stoats in 2019 and the latest survey, which covered 100 sites and recorded pairs of wading birds per square kilometre, showed a modest recovery since the low in 2019 from 12 to 14.5 pairs per square kilometre.

This marks a 21% increase – a stark contrast to mainland Scotland’s population, where curlew populations have decreased by 13% between 2012 and 2022, and a wider UK-wide decline of around 50% since 1...
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