News

RECORD CURLEW BROOD ON NORTH YORK MOORS

14th June 2001

For the first time in living memory, a Curlew has managed to hatch a record brood of five chicks just metres away from what is normally a busy bridlepath. The nest is on the edge of Spaunton Moor, owned by Moorland Association Committee Member, George Winn-Darley. The entire moor has been shut to the public since the end of February due to the North York Moors National Park’s Foot & Mouth Restrictions.

The chicks, which have been monitored from a window in a nearby house, will be three weeks old this week and have been raised in an area that is not usually popular with ground nesting wading birds. The immediate locality is prone to disturbance from walkers, dogs, riders and cyclists using the comprehensive network of footpaths and bridleways and is also very close to Cropton Forest which harbours foxes, stoats, weasels and carrion crows known to prey on vulnerable bird eggs and chicks. The local gamekeepers have stepped up their efforts to control these predators and so far have protected the brood of chicks.

Wilf Norman, Honorary Secretary of the South Cleveland Ringing Group said, “We have been recording and ringing wader chicks on the North York Moors since 1972. In all that time there has never been a successful five chick brood of Curlew to our knowledge, even on the more remote areas of the moors which have much higher densities of these important waders. The RSPB have confirmed that Curlew usually lay up to four eggs, but often only raise two to three. We have not been able to ring this summer, but there are reports that ground nesting birds are doing better, which could be as a result of an undisturbed breeding season and continued good keepering.”