Prince Charles continues his busy summer after several trips to the country with an engagement closer to home. On Wednesday, 28 July, he was at Sandringham – The Queen’s Norfolk estate – to release endangered birds to boost conservation efforts.
The Prince of Wales joined Tony Juniper, Natural England’s Chair, to release some Eurasian Curlews. The bird species is endangered and is the largest species of wading bird. One-quarter of its population lives in the UK but has faced many challenges since the 1970s with many habitats destroyed.
Sandringham Estate is working with Natural England, Wild Ken Hill, and Pensthorpe Conservation Trust and has come together in a partnership to help the Eurasian Curlew. Eggs were collected from airfields and taken to the PCT, also in Norfolk, to be raised. The project should help the birds breed and raise population numbers. Along with the birds released at Sandringham, there will be more released at Wild Ken Hill, as well, and some will have GPS tracking tags to follow them.
As reported in Hello, The Prince said, “This initiative would not have been possible without the tireless work of many people and organisations working in partnership towards a common aim. Every curlew nest is something to prize, nurture and protect, and it is utterly vital that we work together to turn this iconic bird’s fortunes around.”
Prince Charles has long been focused on environmental issues and has worked with countless organisations in a variety of roles to support the environment.
After his late father relinquished control of Sandringham in 2017, Charles has had managing control of the Estate. He has focused on making a number of changes, including installing bird boxes, making wildlife corridors, and moving to organic gardening practices. His own estate, Highgrove, has long pioneered innovative techniques of sustainable farming and gardening.
