Curlew populations recovering as invasive stoats are removed from Orkney
First Orkney wader population survey since project began to remove stoats shows Curlew populations increasing, compared to ongoing declines on the Scottish mainland and across the UK.?
In 2024, Curlew nest survival rates were the highest recorded since the project began, but bad weather meant that few chicks survived. Removing stoats from Orkney is building resilience so the native wildlife of the islands can withstand these events.
Stoats were first recorded in Orkney in 2010 and dramatic wader declines have been reported since, with Curlew numbers declining by 50%. In response to this the Orkney Native Wildlife Project has removed over 7,000 stoats in the last five years.
The RSPB is celebrating World Curlew Day on Monday 21 April with the publication of a new report showing that the work of the Orkney Native Wildlife Project is making a difference in supporting the recovery of Curlew populations following the discovery of a new invasive predator.
Stoats were first recorded in Orkney in 2010, and a survey of wading birds in 2017-19 revealed a concerning picture including that numbers of Curlews had declined by more than 50% from the previous survey in 2006-10. The Orkney Native Wildlife Project began removing stoats in 2019 and the latest survey, which covered 100 sites and recorded pairs of wading birds per km2 shows a modest recovery since the low in 2019 from 12 to 14.5 pairs per km2. This 21% increase contrasts to national Scotland figures, where Curlew populations decreased by 13% between 2012 and 2022, and a concerning UK decline of around 50% since 1995.
However, the latest figures from Orkney are a significant success for conservationists, even against the backdrop of declines in the same period across mainland Scotland and adverse weather conditions last year on the islands that will have made it more difficult to raise their young.
Lots of factors influence population trends in wading birds like Curlews including weather, but these are encouraging signs that the project’s work that has already removed over 7,000 stoats from Orkney are helping these vulnerable birds.
Along with positive population trends nest success rates have more than doubled and chick survival rates have also increased since 2019. These figures are monitored every year and in 2024 nest success reached record highs for curlews and lapwings (82% and 51% respectively).
Ongoing high nest success would help make these species more resilient to all the other factors affecting them for example poor chick survival due to bad weather as was seen in 2024 due to widespread cold and wet conditions. They are a promising sign of future successes and recovery as each year’s chicks reach maturity and begin raising their own young in future years.
Anne McCall director of RSPB Scotland said: “It is fantastic to see that the hard work of the project team and many volunteers is starting to restore a positive future for vulnerable species in Orkney. This is the first major population survey for waders since work started to remove stoats from Orkney and the signs are really promising, as we see declines for Curlew reversed.
“Archipelagos like Orkney are always a delicate balance, with native predators, disease, bad weather and many other factors that influence the survival of our wildlife, but these are largely things that our wildlife has adapted to. Removing the invasive stoats from the islands is essential to giving Orkney’s wildlife the best chance to build the resilience it needs to meet these threats.
“There is still work to do to see numbers return to before stoats were first recorded, but results like this show the difference we are making.”
The Orkney Native Wildlife Project is an ambitious partnership between RSPB Scotland, NatureScot and Orkney Islands Council that has brought together a team of international experts and is working with the local community to remove invasive predators from the islands. It is the largest stoat eradication on an inhabited landscape anywhere in the world, and its success is critical to protecting Orkney’s precious native wildlife, including the Orkney Vole that is found nowhere else in the world and several nationally important bird populations including Curlews.
It is supported by funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, EU Life and the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund, managed by NatureScot, and the generosity of people across Scotland and the UK working together to safeguard Orkney’s native species.
For more information about the project and how you can support the efforts to protect the unique and rare species found on the islands please visit: www.rspb.org.uk/orkney-project
RSPB
21 April 2025
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