Early last Saturday morning, Marsden Walkers are Welcome organised and led walks on Marsden Moor on behalf of World Curlew Day 2026 and Curlew Action.

Around fifty people booked for the walks, so two parties headed onto the moors with 25 in each group, led by Marsden WaW members. The great news was that both groups saw Curlews, and were also rewarded with hearing their haunting, melancholic calls. The bad news, as it were, is that this fantastic bird is very much endangered.

It’s thanks to the founder of Curlew Action, Mary Colwell, that the plight of the Eurasian Curlew is being addressed in a range of ways. Mary and some of the Curlew Action team joined the walk – it was a real pleasure to meet them and show them this corner of the English uplands and moors.

The basis for the route – which was 6 miles with some steep elevation and great views up on the moors – was the ‘Swellands Walk’ route that MWaW devised a few years back. But as Swellands reservoir is now being abandoned and returned to moorland by Yorkshire Water, Marsden Walkers are Welcome are looking to rename the walk the ‘Curlew Walk’, as suggested by Mary at Curlew Action. A great name for it and a way to raise awareness of Curlew Action, and of course, this lovely bird.

Mary Colwell established World Curlew Day in 2017, and Curlew Action now promotes this day every year with events and competitions. It is a day to celebrate and raise awareness about Curlews across the globe and a fantastic opportunity to tell their stories. Curlews everywhere are in serious trouble, but there are many creative ways to help them.