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Dunlin Chicks Thrive in Restored Cumbrian Bog Habitats
3 Feb
Summary
- Endangered dunlins are successfully breeding in restored peat bogs.
- Conservationists used drones to survey rare wading birds in Cumbria.
- Landowners created 79 hectares of peatland and 25 new pools.
Endangered dunlin chicks have been found thriving in newly created boggy habitats within the Cumbrian Pennines. This success stems from a collaboration between conservationists and landowners. Bird conservation charity the RSPB, with funding from Natural England, employed drones for surveys in the challenging terrain.
The RSPB team discovered tiny dunlin chicks, including on the High Helbeck estate. Estate managers there have dedicated effort to habitat restoration, creating 79 hectares of peatland and 25 new shallow pools, known as wader scrapes. These efforts directly support the wading birds' need for soggy landscapes, which are increasingly rare due to drainage for farming and grouse shooting.
Dunlins face global decline, classified as near threatened, and are red-listed in the UK as one of the country's rarest birds. Conservationists attribute these declines to the climate crisis and degraded habitats. Kath Milnes from Natural England highlighted how investing in nature and restoring peatlands provides multiple benefits and creates the right conditions for species like dunlin to flourish.
