THE original watercolour painting of a curlew has raised £625 for Curlew Country – a project that is helping to save the popular wading bird.
Painted by professional sporting and wildlife artist Owen Williams, the picture, pictured above, was auctioned at an event organised by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), hosts of the UK lowland curlew recovery project.
You can buy a print of this painting here, with £15 from each sale supporting the Curlew Country project.
The project works on the ground with farmers in the Shropshire Hills and Welsh Marches to protect and monitor curlew nests. This is done through a conservation practice called headstarting which involves collecting curlew eggs from wild nests before being incubated artificially.
The resulting chicks that hatch are then raised to fledging stage (when they are able to fly) and released back into the wild. Through this process, 21 chicks were reared and released into the project area, with hopes that some of these birds will return in two years’ time.
Owen said: “I am delighted to have made a modest contribution in the valiant efforts being made to save our curlew. This is because the call of the curlew runs like golden thread through the weave of happy memories of my time growing up on a hill farm in west Wales. Several years back that thread broke, and I am saddened by its absence, so anything I can do to help it being rewoven into our rural backdrop is worthwhile.”
The Curlew Country team is currently searching for further funding to support curlew recovery work in the future, as well as planning for the next season.
In the meantime, please support the project by buying your curlew print here.
For more information about the project, visit www.curlewcountry.org or e-mail curlewcountry@gwct.org.uk
Notes to editors
The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust – providing research-led conservation for a thriving countryside. The GWCT is an independent wildlife conservation charity which has carried out scientific research into Britain’s game and wildlife since the 1930s. We advise farmers and landowners on improving wildlife habitats. We employ 22 post-doctoral scientists and 50 other research staff with expertise in areas such as birds, insects, mammals, farming, fish and statistics. We undertake our own research as well as projects funded by contract and grant-aid from Government and private bodies. The Trust is also responsible for a number of Government Biodiversity Action Plan species and is lead partner for grey partridge and joint lead partner for brown hare and black grouse.
For information, contact:
Eleanor Williams
Telephone: 07592 025476
Email: press@gwct.org.uk