European Curlew Fieldworker Workshop 2026
Overview
Our in-person European Curlew Fieldworker Workshop will return in February 2026! You can read the report from our successful first Workshop here.
100% of attendees surveyed in 2024 reported that they would be interested in attending the workshop a second time.
Join us for this weekend of talks, discussions and entertainment where we will be focusing on Curlew fieldwork. Open to all, but specifically designed for fieldworkers, your ticket includes access to the event, meals, two nights' accomodation, evening entertainment and a trip to Morecambe Bay on Sunday morning to visit the world-famous Morecambe Bay Estuary.
The weekend sessions will include:
- Failed eggs - latest research.
- Monitoring chicks and counting fledglings.
- Predator control - lethal, non-lethal or both? Which predators?
- Do Action Plans Work? A panel discussion.
- A 'Have Your Say' session - your chance to take the mic.
- Drones and apps - what's available and how best to use them
- Women in fieldwork - the benefits and problems of being a female fieldworker.
- Ecological grief - coping with the emotions of working with a declining species.
- Finding Hope and Optimism
Please note this is a developing schedule and may change. Updates will be made to the event page and e-mailed to attendees nearer the time. There will be plenty of opportunity for networking, informal conversation and sharing ideas.
Tickets are limited and sold out in 2024- book early to avoid disappointment.
Please consider donating if you can. Thank you!
Agenda
Have a look at our agenda below, to be finalised nearer the time.
Getting There
Information on how best to make your way to the venue will be communicated closer to the event, however, the city of Lancaster can be reached directly by train from Manchester Airport, as well as being well served by train from other cities. The train station is about 30 minutes from the venue by bus (15 min drive/1h15min walk).
Payment
If you would like to pay Curlew Action directly for the event, by way of receiving an invoice, please contact Charlie at charlie@curlewaction.org.
We understand the amount may be a barrier to some people attending, so please use the 'Donate' button to pay a lesser amount if you require, or e-mail Charlie to discuss. We are fundraising to offer as much delegate support as we can.
Have Something to Say?
Have you got something you'd like to say? Over the weekend we can give you a (short) slot if you have a topic for discussion. Let us know by e-mailing Charlie beforehand or let us know when there: charlie@curlewaction.org
Have a Question?
Send any questions you may have about the event to charlie@curlewaction.org.
Good to know
Highlights
- 2 days 2 hours
- In person
Refund Policy
Location
Lancaster University Lancaster Conferences
County Avenue
Bailrigg LA1 4YD United Kingdom
How do you want to get there?
Arrivals, tea and cake
Drop off your bags in your room and come to the event space for tea and cake.
Welcome from Curlew Action
David Hill, Chair of Curlew Action, and Stuart Sharp, an ecologist from Lancaster University, welcomes everyone to this stunning part of the UK and to the second Curlew Action in-person European Fieldworker Workshop. We hope you will share your experiences, ideas and creates networks to build on the success of the first meeting in Norfolk in 2024, and the second online workshop on headstarting in February 2025.
Talk - Mary's Curlew Walk: 10 Years On, What Has Changed?
2026 marks the tenth anniversary of Mary Colwell’s 500-mile Curlew Walk from the west of Ireland to the east of England, undertaken to understand why Curlews are disappearing. That journey led to her book Curlew Moon, the founding of Curlew Action, her role in chairing the Curlew Recovery Partnership and, with many others, a wave of initiatives, events and public engagement. In this talk, Mary offers a personal reflection on Curlew conservation over the past decade. Despite better science, greater public awareness and far more activity on the ground, are we really winning the battle to save them? How has Curlew conservation changed, and where is it heading next?
Organised by
Curlew Action
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