Curlew sandpipers make extraordinary long-distance migrations from Siberia to Africa, passing through UK estuaries in autumn. Their welfare depends on undisturbed high-quality stopover sites.
Curlew sandpiper welfare at UK stopover sites is directly affected by disturbance quality. Birds arrive severely depleted after long flights and must feed intensively to build fat reserves for the next migration leg. Repeated disturbance by dogs, photographers, and recreational activity depletes these reserves, reducing subsequent flight range and survival probability. Protecting key stopover estuaries from disturbance during migration periods, particularly August-September, provides significant welfare benefit.