A Leitrim farmer is part of a breeding waders project that will see curlews released in his area in the coming days.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) were in Leitrim this Monday to GPS tag this year’s chicks in preparation for their release.

Jim Flynn, a sheep and suckler farmer from Drumshanbo, said being part of a project to preserve curlews in the area “means a lot to him”.

“We’re lucky enough to have a few curlews at the moment and now we’re releasing more curlews into the area.

“Hopefully, they’ll come in a few years to breed more and hopefully there’ll be a few pound for the local farmers as well.

“There are very few curlews left. You can travel a lot of Ireland and not see a curlew. It’s great that they just happen to be on this end of the country. We hope that they will be here after my day,” he added.

Working with farmers

Minister of State for nature Malcolm Noonan was in Leitrim for the tagging of the curlew chicks that were bred in captivity at Fota Wildlife Park.

“This really is what can be achieved when we look towards restoring nature at scale and working with landowners, and that there’s adequate funding available for farmers to support them with the work they’re doing.

“The farmer here is hugely enthusiastic towards the project and hugely enthusiastic towards the birds. I really do feel a sense of common cause among all the project partners,” he added.

The breeding waders European Innovation Partnership (EIP) will see €25m over five years invested in stabilising and maintaining, with the ultimate aim of increasing the populations of these birds around the country.

EIP projects are locally-led schemes, which are designed and implemented by collaborative groups involving farmers, scientists, ecologists and other experts to deliver specific goals.

Work to be done

With just over 100 pairs of breeding curlews left around the country, water bird ecologist with the NPWS Seán Kelly said, “lots needs to be done on the ground and at policy level”.

“So much work has been done here by the local team, the local farmers doing measures on the ground at farm level.

“That’s the work that happens on the ground that is essential. We need those actions to be targeted at the priority breeding wader areas around the country,” he added.