Irish Wildlife Series | The Curlew: Last Call | Species 01 | For The Ocean
The Curlew: Last Call
Irish Wildlife Series | Species 01
There was a time when the call of the Curlew was part of the Irish summer.
A bubbling, haunting sound carried across bogs, wetlands and open countryside.
You could hear it before you saw the bird.
Today, that sound has become far harder to find.
The Curlew is still with us. But Ireland's breeding population has declined by around 98% since the 1980s, leaving one of our most recognisable birds on the brink.
That is why the Curlew is where the For The Ocean Irish Wildlife Series begins.
Species 01 — Curlew: Last Call.
A bird that belongs to Ireland
The Curlew is unmistakable.
Long legs.
A long, beautifully curved bill.
A mottled brown body that disappears surprisingly well into the landscape.
And that extraordinary call.
The Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata) is Ireland's largest wader. It breeds in small numbers in wetlands, bogs and rough grasslands, while many more Curlews arrive in Ireland during winter from northern Europe.
For generations, its presence was woven into the Irish countryside.
But the landscape has changed.
And the Curlew has paid the price.
98% gone
The scale of the decline is difficult to comprehend.
National surveys have recorded just over 100 confirmed breeding pairs in Ireland in recent years, compared with thousands of pairs estimated to have bred here in the late 1980s.
The reasons are complex.
Loss and degradation of breeding habitat.
Agricultural intensification.
Drainage.
Afforestation.
Changes to peatlands and wetlands.
And predation of eggs and chicks.
The Curlew nests on the ground, making its eggs and young particularly vulnerable.
For a bird that needs open, wet landscapes to breed successfully, even relatively subtle changes to the land can make the difference between raising a chick and losing a nest.
And when there are so few breeding birds left, every lost chick matters.
But this isn't a story about extinction.
Not yet.
There is another side to the Curlew's story.
People are fighting for it.
Farmers, conservationists, scientists, landowners, volunteers and local communities have been working together to protect nesting birds, improve habitat and give Curlew chicks a better chance of surviving.
The Curlew Conservation Programme has supported locally based teams working with landowners and communities across important breeding areas in Ireland.
And there have been reasons for hope.
In 2023, conservation teams recorded the highest number of young Curlews fledging within the programme since it began in 2017, with 42 chicks reaching fledging stage.
Then, in 2026, came an extraordinary moment.
A Curlew reared as part of a conservation effort returned to breed.
A bird that had been given a chance.
A bird that came back.
A reminder that conservation can work.
That when we protect the right places, give wildlife space and keep going, the story can change.
Why "Last Call"?
Because the Curlew's call is more than a sound.
It is a reminder.
A reminder of what once filled our countryside.
A reminder of what has been lost.
And a reminder that there is still something left to save.
Last Call isn't about giving up.
It is about refusing to let the call disappear.
Photo by Bob Brewer on Unsplash
Species 01 — Curlew: Last Call
The first design in the For The Ocean Irish Wildlife Series was created around that idea.
Not a souvenir.
Not simply a picture of a bird.
A story you can wear.
The Curlew design represents a species whose future is still being written.
Every detail is intended to connect the bird to the landscape it depends upon — the wetlands, bogs, grasslands and open countryside that have become increasingly important as its numbers have fallen.
Because protecting a species means protecting the places that allow it to live.
The beginning of a bigger story
The Curlew is Species 01.
It is the beginning of the Irish Wildlife Series.
Next comes the Little Tern — a tiny seabird whose life depends upon safe Irish beaches and an extraordinary journey between Ireland and western Africa.
Then the Roseate Tern.
Then the Puffin.
Different species.
Different habitats.
Different stories.
But one common thread:
Ireland's wildlife needs somewhere to survive.
And we all have a role in helping protect it.
Track the Journey. Measure the Impact. Protect the Future.
That is the idea behind For The Ocean.
We don't want conservation to end with awareness.
We want people to discover the species behind the designs, understand the habitats they depend upon and become part of the wider story.
Over time, we're building towards a community where people can follow conservation stories, discover projects, support positive action and see the difference that collective effort can make.
Because protecting wildlife shouldn't feel like something happening somewhere else.
It should feel like something we can all understand.
Something we can participate in.
And something we can be proud to pass on.
Don't let the call disappear.
The Curlew has been part of Ireland's landscape for generations.
Its future is uncertain.
But it isn't written yet.
Species 01 — Curlew: Last Call.
A reminder that sometimes the most important thing we can do is simply make sure there is still a voice to hear.
Track the Journey. Measure the Impact. Protect the Future.
Discover the Irish Wildlife Series
Species 01 — Curlew: Last Call
Species 02 — Little Tern: The Epic Voyage
Species 03 — Roseate Tern: The Rarest Return
Species 04 — Puffin: Guardian of the Cliffs
This is only the beginning.
