The strange, rare, stone curlew is a very distinctive looking bird, well known for its long yellow legs and round yellow eyes which are apt for nocturnal foraging. Being a summer visitor, you can only spot this bird between March and October – the best place to catch one is at NWT Weeting Heath.
The stone curlew is a UK Biodiversity Action Plan species and is also currently on the Amber list. Numbers have risen over the past 15 years due to partnerships being created between wildlife conservation bodies and landowners to identify and protect breeding sites. The stone curlew is also afforded special protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the EU Birds Directive. Areas where stone curlews are found are designated as Environmentally Sensitive Areas. A key conservation management system at the NWT Weeting Heath reserve is maintaining a healthy population of rabbits. These grazers keep vegetation shorter than 2cm to provide a suitable habitat for nesting stone curlews.
Register any sightings with the
British Trust for Ornithology.