Migration

I chose to draw the critically endangered Eastern Curlew, the world’s largest migratory shorebird. Over the last 30 years, their global population has suffered an alarming 80% decline. I used a combination of watercolour and coloured pencils to highlight the Eastern Curlew’s most distinct feature: an elongated, down-curved bill that is perfectly adapted for probing deep into coastal mudflats for food like crabs and ghost shrimps.These remarkable birds migrate over 10,000 kilometres annually between their Arctic breeding grounds and Australian estuaries. However, rapid coastal development across their migration pathway destroys the intertidal mudflats that they rely on to refuel. By capturing the curlews migration, I wanted to emphasise how human encroachment threatens their survival. We must preserve our remaining wetlands to ensure this incredible international voyager has a place to survive properly.