A British man is walking 85km in a homemade bird costume to raise awareness and funds for conservation projects.
Matt Trevelyan, a farming officer with Nidderdale National Landscape, took on a unique two-day challenge by walking the Nidderdale Way dressed as a giant Eurasian curlew. Starting on Saturday from Pateley Bridge, his journey takes him through places like Middlesmoor, Guisecliff Wood, and Brimham Rocks.
Nidderdale is one of the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire.
Using his background as a puppet maker, Matt built the striking 3m curlew costume from polystyrene and bamboo. “Those who know me knew I’d eventually build a giant curlew,” he joked. “She’s a real beauty, and I wanted to honor how incredible these birds are.”
The walk coincides with World Curlew Day on Monday, a date established in 2017 by Mary Colwell to raise awareness of the curlew’s steep decline. Once common, these wading birds are now under serious threat due to habitat loss, changing farming practices, predation, and climate change.
The curlews are a group of nine species of birds in the genus Numenius, characterised by their long, slender, downcurved bills and mottled brown plumage.
Matt explained that Nidderdale and the wider Pennine region are crucial habitats for curlews, but even here, numbers are dropping. A major issue is chicks not surviving to adulthood, often due to changes in land use like early silage cutting, as well as increased predation by foxes and crows.
“Farming can support curlews,” Matt said, “but we need a balance.”
You can see the bird costume and follow Matt on instagram here.