Press Release
Monday 14th April 2025
Join the Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC) on Friday the 18th April to celebrate World Curlew Day 2025. This is the first free public event of the IPCC’s annual Féile an Dúlra, the IPCC’s festival of nature supported by Kildare County Council.
Everyone is encouraged to come along and join the IPCC to watch for and learn about the elusive Curlew of Lodge Bog. The Curlew is one of Ireland’s most threatened birds. It is on the IUCN Red-list as the population has declined by 98% since the 1980’s. The Curlew is also Ireland’s largest wading bird and its call was once a familiar sound to many. Lodge Bog provides the perfect open peatland habitat with an abundance of insects for the Curlew to feed on. The Curlew is a ground nesting bird, which makes it incredibly vulnerable. It is estimated that approximately 100 breeding pairs remain. The main threats to the Curlew are loss of suitable habitat, the fragmentation of habitat, and predation. The IPCC works to conserve the preferred habitat of the Curlew, such as Lodge Bog, with the help of the local community and volunteers. Some of the conservation tools used by the IPCC include population monitoring and habitat management.
Participants will be guided on a walk to Lodge Bog from the Bog of Allen Nature Centre, arriving at the reserve the IPCC staff will share the story of the Curlew on this reserve before returning to the centre for a cup of tea. Meet at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre (R51 V293) at 11am Friday 18th April.
If you cannot make the event do not worry as the IPCC have planned a full schedule of events for you to take part in and learn about peatlands and biodiversity this year, find out more at www.ipcc.ie/events or email bogs@ipcc.ie
