The North of England Curlew Conservation awards were held on 18th August at Masham Town Hall.
The awards, organised by Nidderdale National Landscape and supported by National Landscapes and National Parks across the north, celebrate the work of farmers, volunteers, and upland managers.
Congratulations to all of the award winners, but particularly to Bolton Castle Estate in Wensleydale and Geoff Eyre, the highly respected farmer and conservation champion in the Peak District.
Bolton Castle Estate has been at the forefront of efforts to save the curlew for many years. The estate received The Life on Land Award in 2019 for curlew abundance, from charity Red List Revival.
Tom, Lord Bolton, was a founder member of the Curlew Recovery Partnership, which aims to connect conservationists, to be informed by science, and share best practice.
Since 2016, Bolton Castle has taken part in several research projects to inform future conservation work, including extensive nest monitoring, using trail cameras and thermostat-loggers, and recording the curlew’s migration patterns in partnership with Yorkshire Dales National Park and the British Trust for Ornithology.
Bolton Castle also hosts annual Moorland Safaris for members of the public to showcase rare birds such as the curlew, lapwing and kestrel.
Geoff Eyre has been recognised among the moorland community for decades for his exceptional moorland conservation work, including habitat restoration, and was awarded an honorary doctorate by Liverpool University for his work. Wildlife is flourishing on Geoff’s land. On one 1,500-acre piece of molinia restored to healthy moorland, bird counts went from six to 1,000, with the highest density of lapwings in the area, 30 pairs of ring ouzels, 69 pairs of curlew, as well as several species of bird of prey.
Grouse moors are one of the last remaining strongholds for the curlew, which are in significant decline elsewhere.