“We’ve had massive declines all across Northern Ireland, but I’m really proud to say this bird is still holding on and it’s still doing well in Fermanagh.”

RSPB Reserves Manager Amy Burns has watched the return of the curlew to her beloved Lough Erne over the past four years of the EU-funded Curlew LIFE project., external

The scheme has also seen the species flourish at Glenwherry in the Antrim Plateau.

In this final year, breeding pairs have reached 52 in Glenwherry and there have been a record 20 fledglings on the Lower Lough Erne Islands Reserve.