A curlew fitted with coloured rings has been found nesting with three eggs in the Sliabh Beagh area that covers parts of Counties Tyrone and Fermanagh.

The bird is a headstarted individual from 2024 and is the first such bird recorded returning to breed in Northern Ireland.

Staff from the Breeding Waders EIP project located the nest using GPS thermal technology and confirmed the rings on its legs.

The nest is considered a second attempt this season and is now two weeks into a 28-day incubation period.

Conservation staff said the sighting marks the first record of a headstarted curlew returning to breed and is viewed as a positive sign for the programme.

The Sliabh Beagh Curlew Conservation Trust published video footage of the bird and nest on social media on Saturday.

Numbers of breeding curlews in Northern Ireland have fallen to an estimated 150 pairs.

The Breeding Waders EIP project has been running headstarting trials in which eggs are removed from vulnerable nests, incubated artificially and the chicks reared until they can fly before release.

Project staff urged members of the public who see ringed curlews to report the sightings to conservation authorities.