World Curlew Day 2026

This April, a lively and unusual programme of events across the Yorkshire Dales and Pennines is aiming to raise £10,000 for one of our most loved and most threatened upland birds.

Nidderdale National Landscape is backing a curlew conservation appeal with a month of choir rehearsals, moorland walks, creative workshops and a Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge, all designed to celebrate curlew and help support the work needed to protect them.

Why curlew need our help

Curlew are part of the sound and character of our uplands, but they remain under real pressure.

The dramatic decline of our largest wader has long slipped beneath public awareness. Despite the many threats facing Eurasian Curlew, the widespread belief that they are doing “OK” may be the most dangerous. Their long lifespan and familiar presence across Yorkshire can mask the reality of a species in serious trouble.

Across the UK, breeding success is now catastrophically low, producing only half the chicks needed for a stable population. Numbers fell by 48% between 1995 and 2020, pushing the species onto BirdLife International’s Red List. Yet the UK still holds around a quarter of the global population, making it a fragile stronghold. With steep declines in southern England and Wales, Yorkshire has become one of the most important regions for the curlew’s future.

The Pennine chain is a significant area for breeding Curlew.

Matt Trevelyan, FiPL Officer for Nidderdale National Landscape, said: “Curlew are part of the sound and soul of our landscape, but they are under real pressure.

“National Landscapes and Parks support a range of conservation across the area, with many projects benefitting from the Farming in Protected Landscapes Funding Programme.

“Our weeklong series of curlew themed events are intended to people together in creative, memorable ways– and support the work needed to help curlew survive and thrive.

“We’ve set ourselves an ambitious fundraising target, because we know the need is real. From the Three Peaks challenge to the choir and public events, every part of the programme is about turning people’s love for curlew into practical support.”

A month of music, walking and wild ideas

The programme begins on Friday 17 April with a Pennine Hills Curlew Choir refresher evening at Pateley Bridge Memorial Hall, led by musician Mary Keith. New and returning singers are invited to come along ahead of a run of performances during World Curlew Week.

The following morning, choir members will head to Marsden Moor for a six-mile Walk for Curlew alongside Mary Colwell, founder of Curlew Action, singing in the very landscape where Pennine curlews breed.

Then on Sunday 19 April, supporters will take on The Curlew Challenge, tackling the Yorkshire Three Peaks in homemade wildlife costumes.

Meet Cathy and Heathcliff

Joining the Three Peaks walkers will be Cathy the Curlew and Heathcliff, Nidderdale’s giant curlew puppets.

Cathy, created by Matt Trevelyan, a former puppet maker, became an unlikely conservation celebrity when he walked the entire 53-mile Nidderdale Way in costume. The challenge attracted international media coverage, including BBC Breakfast and CNN. Now Cathy has a companion, and the pair will take on the Three Peaks together to help raise sponsorship and keep curlew conservation in the public eye.

To Find out more, and support Matt on this huge challenge, visit his just giving page: Team Curlew is fundraising for Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust

Explore the curlew’s call

Later in the month, Pateley Bridge Memorial Hall will host two more events on Friday 24 April.

In the afternoon, The Curlew’s Call Studio will invite participants to recreate the curlew’s distinctive cry using music technology developed by composer and ornithologist Peter Cowdrey of Planet Birdsong.

That evening, Peter will return for Curlew Song: The Music and the Message, exploring the hidden structure of birdsong and the wider conservation story behind it.

Singing with curlews in the landscape

The programme closes on Saturday 25 April with Sing with Curlews at Malham Methodist Chapel and Malham Cove, taking the choir’s message to one of the Yorkshire Dales’ best-known visitor locations.

The Pennine Hills Curlew Choir, formed in 2024, has become a distinctive and uplifting part of Nidderdale’s conservation work, bringing together fieldworkers, local people and new voices through music.

How to get involved

Nidderdale lies within the Northern Upland Chain, making it nationally important for the future of curlew. This fundraising appeal is one way people can be part of that story, whether by joining an event, making a donation or simply helping spread the word.

Most events are free to attend, with donations welcomed throughout. Some require advance booking and places are limited. The appeal also links with Ground Nest Fest events taking place in Settle and Lawkland over the same weekend.

For full details and booking links, visit Nidderdale National Landscape’s event pages.

What’s on

17 April – A Pennine Hills Curlew Choir Refresher, Pateley Bridge Memorial Hall
18 April – Walk for Curlew, Marsden Moor
19 April – The Curlew Challenge, Yorkshire Three Peaks
24 April – The Curlew’s Call Studio, Pateley Bridge Memorial Hall
24 April – Curlew Song: The Music and the Message, Pateley Bridge Memorial Hall
25 April – Sing with Curlews, Malham Methodist Chapel and Malham Cove