Introduction
The haunting call of the curlew, a once-common sound across the British countryside, is sadly fading. In Nidderdale National Landscape, North Yorkshire, a local farmer Clive White witnessed this decline firsthand on his land within the Darley Beck catchment. This region, characterised by its expansive grasslands, alongside patches of rush pasture and woodland, provides crucial habitat for these iconic birds. Driven by a passion for conservation, Clive set up the Darley Beck Curlew Project, aiming to reverse this alarming trend.
Working with ecologist Kate Wright and thirty committed volunteer surveyors, the team monitors the local curlew population across the 1.65 square mile area consisting of 300 fields. The data is used to work alongside members of the farming cluster to plan what interventions can be used to help the curlews and what financial help the farmers might need to make the required changes e.g fencing and adjusted mowing schedules. The project is funded thanks to Defra’s Farming in Protected Landscapes scheme, Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (YDMT), private donations, and the Nidderdale National Landscape.
The Challenge: Data Overload and Time-Consuming Processes
For the first three years, the project relied on traditional paper surveys where the results had to be manually transferred into Excel spreadsheets before sending them to Kate. The sheer volume of data, stretching into thousands of rows, created a logistical nightmare, hindering efficient analysis and timely action.
The Coreo Solution: Streamlining Data Collection and Analysis
Recognising the need for a more efficient solution, Kate discovered Coreo. The transition to Coreo, implemented in early 2025, marked a turning point for the project. While some surveyors initially hesitated to abandon paper surveys for digital platforms, the benefits of Coreo quickly became apparent.
The Impact: Efficiency, Real-Time Insights, and Enhanced Collaboration
Coreo delivers a significant boost in efficiency, saving the team an estimated 100 hours already and doubling their productivity. Surveyors now receive immediate feedback on their data, fostering greater engagement and accuracy. For Clive and Kate, the ability to visualise real-time bird sightings on interactive maps has been invaluable. Kate no longer has to grapple with unwieldy Excel spreadsheets, freeing up time for strategic planning and analysis.
“I used the app for the first time today doing the survey and it was brilliant! It took less than a minute to enter data each time. So nice not to come home and have to start messing with spreadsheets!”
Tess Mobbs, Surveyor
“Coreo has revolutionised our workflow, saving us an incredible amount of time and doubling our efficiency. Having all our data in one place, accessible to the entire team, has been transformative.”
Kate Wright, Project Ecologist
Key features that Kate finds particularly beneficial include:
- Customisable Field Boundaries and Map Layers: Enabling precise mapping and analysis of curlew habitats.
- Conditional Question Logic: Streamlining data collection and ensuring data consistency.
- Centralised Data Management and Sharing: Facilitating seamless collaboration and data accessibility across the team.
- Training/Educational Resource: The static pages and information buttons help the surveyors to develop their skills and ensure they are they are correctly identifying and recording curlew behaviour.
The App provides immediately accessible behaviour on the behaviour of the curlews and this is vital if we are to find and protect nests from predations as quickly as possible.
It also allows us to keep the farmers up to date with the curlew activity on their land and reduces the risk of inadvertent damage to eggs and chicks by agricultural activity.
Finally, the static pages and information buttons on the App are a permanent, constantly accessible educational resource for surveyors on curlew behaviour, helping their interpretaion of the curlew behaviour that they are seeing and hearing.”
Clive White, Project Lead
Looking Ahead: A Brighter Future for Curlews
The latest project report indicates that the Darley Beck Curlew Project is making a positive impact by promoting curlew-friendly farming practices and reducing predator impacts. Coreo will play a pivotal role in accelerating the project’s progress, enabling more efficient surveys and data analysis.
Learn more about the Darley Beck Curlew Project and their vital conservation efforts by visiting their website. If you’d like to help raise funds to continue the conservation effort, you can donate here.
