UK Man Dresses As Endangered Bird, Walks 84 Km To Raise Awareness

A man, dressed in a bird costume, walked nearly 84 kilometres to raise awareness about the endangered Eurasian curlew, one of Great Britain's most iconic birds. 

He walked along the Nidderdale Way in the Yorkshire Dales with his friends and family on Easter Sunday, a day before World Curlew Day.

Matt Trevelyan, 46, said he wanted people to care more about nature in their own communities. He hoped that by seeing him walk in a bird costume, people would get involved in local conservation efforts, like volunteering and protecting natural wildlife and engaging with nature responsibly.

Mr Trevelyan, who works as a Farming in Protected Landscapes Officer, said, "It would be great if people were able to connect with nature by being careful when engaging and enjoying," adding, "If we were to lose the curlew, we would lose a rich part of our wildlife and British culture," as per The NY Post.

These birds preferred living in fields with tall grass, he said, adding that farmers often grew grass but cut it to make silage. During the process, they use tractors and accidentally destroy the birds' eggs, he said.

Farming was not the only activity causing damage. Large populations of crows and foxes steal the eggs of the birds, he said.

Mr Trevelyan wore a DIY outfit, which was about nine feet long. It took him three days to make the costume with split bamboo, muslin fabric and polystyrene. It had an almost 12-foot-long beak, reported The NY Post.

"It was a lot of trial and error - but I'm glad it came out so well, as I wanted it to be as beautiful as the actual bird," he added.

He walked 40.2 km on the first day, starting from Pateley Bridge and continuing a 23.3-km journey to Middlesmoor, before stopping for lunch. He then continued to Bewerley in the second half, covering another 16.9 km. On day two, he followed a figure-of-eight shaped route and ended the walk where he began - at Pateley Bridge, covering 45 km.

He said, "The walk was a joy - there were beautiful views and the weather was perfect. I underestimated how fast I could walk, meaning I was trundling along for a solid 12 hours a day."

Talking about the comfort of his costume, Mr Trevelyan said, "The costume was fairly easy to walk in as it was very lightweight. As long as I pointed the beak in the correct direction and ducked underneath the occasional branch I was fine."

Making the head and the beak of the costume was the hardest part, "but once that was out the way it was a lot easier to finish," he added.

Mr Trevelyan mentioned that he wasn't worried about the walk and focused on making the perfect costume. He said, "I was never worried about the walk; I just wanted to make sure I had done a good job with the costume."

There are only 58,000 Eurasian Curlews left in the wild. "The curlew is my favourite bird and I've been saddened as their numbers have reduced massively around the UK," he added.