Forty-eight young curlews have been released into the Shropshire Hills as part of a conservation effort to protect the species, which is on the UK's Red List of highest conservation concern. The charity Curlew Country has been "headstarting" the birds—taking eggs from wild nests and raising the chicks in specially-built pens—after monitoring found that no chicks survived to fledging in nests left in the wild, largely due to predation and disturbance.

Curlews, Europe's largest wading bird, breed in the UK in significant numbers (around 30% of the western European population) but face major threats from ground-nesting vulnerability. Project leader Amanda Perkins described the licensed headstarting scheme as a temporary "sticking plaster" rather than a long-term fix. The initiative aligns with Shropshire's Local Nature Recovery Strategy, with co-ordinator Lynn Parker praising local farmers for supporting conservation efforts and stressing that survival, rather than thriving, remains the immediate priority for the species.