Shropshire Farming Talk: Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust

These are a lakeside supper is to be held on June 28 near Shrewsbury and a shoot walk at Pool Farm near Church Stretton, on July 12, more information on the GWCT website events page.

The funds raised from these evenings is what keeps the GWCT research work going.

For instance its recently published 2023 paper showed the great value to curlew conservation of predation management which involves the full suite of legal predator control methods.

Sadly UK populations of several wader species are rapidly declining, most likely due to low breeding success.

Predation of eggs and chicks by generalist predators is proven to be a key driver of low breeding success in wading birds.

GWCT scientists studied 18 pairs of sites in the British uplands to investigate how habitat, predators, and livestock grazing intensity may influence wader abundance and breeding success.

More wader species were present on grouse moors and were recorded at over twice the density than on non-grouse moors.

Furthermore curlew breeding success was four-fold higher on grouse moors then on non-grouse moors. Similar differences were apparent in other wader species.

Grouse moors appear to help slow declines by acting as a ‘source’ population for curlew, where surplus fledglings can move to and populate other areas.

In Shropshire, we are fortunate to have several pockets of Curlew returning year to year.

Hearing the iconic Curlew is a privilege we all want to pass to the next generation. By supporting GWCT events, you will be aiding the research into these iconic birds and other species.

By Charlotte Marrison, GWCT Shropshire Chairman.