Join BTO ecologists Rachel, Katharine and Steve as they GPS tag Curlews as part of ECHOES project work in Ballyteige.
The aim of this work is to find out which habitats are most important to protect for Curlew. If ECHOES researchers really want to understand coastal resources from the perspective of the birds, they need to 'see' what the birds are doing when they aren't able to look at them so easily (at low tide, overnight or in bad weather). Satellite tagging allows them to do this!
The ECHOES Project is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Ireland Wales Cooperation programme.
Find out more about the ECHOES Project at www.echoesproj.eu
So far, tagging has revealed that Curlew travel surprising distances from estuaries to feed inland - particularly in darkness - and they seem to have a clear mental 'map' of known places to visit, making direct flights to and from favourite fields. This information will inform conservation work to protect Curlew populations.
Even with the combined (90 years!) experience of the ECHOES field team, there are endless unpredictable ways in which to fail to catch Curlew...
