Europe's largest wading bird is facing extinction in Wales “within a generation” unless something is done to save the species.
The much-loved curlew was once instantly recognisable in Wales by its distinctive call and long, curved beak.
But in the last 15 years the numenius arquata has fast been becoming a rara avis.
The RSPB think there could be as few as 576 pairs are left and the torrential rain this summer may have threatened the survival of this year’s fledglings.
Conservation officer Dave Elliott works with the animals in Hiraethog, Snowdonia, the only place in Wales where they now breed.
He has been working with farmers there to try and discover what can be done to save the birds.
He said: “The rate of decline has been about 50-80% in the last 15 year period.
“In 2006 the RSPB thought there were about 1,100 pairs left in Wales.
“There may not have been any chicks fledged this year.
“They certainly disappeared from the uplands quicker than I have ever seen.
“There might be one or two pairs of curlews left with chicks but this should be a time of year when we would expect to see a dozen or half a dozen.
“Five or six years ago it would not have been unthinkable to find that many.”
“In a standard year the chicks, once they have hatched, once the down has dried off, they find their own food and walk a fair distance from their parents.
“They can be 50 metres or more away and fending for themselves.
“But if they get wet or cold, because they are fairly small, once they lose their body temperature it is difficult for them to warm up again.
“They use their parents to snuggle under to keep dry and warm.
“They can only do that if they can get back to their parents.
“But parents will need to feed if they are having to brood for so long or they will starve.”
And once they leave to feed the chicks are at risk from the cold and wet again.
In the UK the British Trust for Ornithology estimated there were 107,000 pairs UK wide in 1999.
Paul Stancliffe is an ornithologist there.
He said: “But there has been a 24% decline UK-wide so you could knock a quarter from that to give you a more accurate figure.”
He said the breeding birds survey of 1994 counted 279 individual birds in a 1km/sq area of Wales. By 2010 this had fallen to 88.
Nigel Williams is centre manager at the National Wetland Centre in Llanelli and he echoed concerns about the curlew.
The birds fly from around the UK to the centre each year. But because of the torrential rain they have already arrived in numbers not normally seen until at least August.
By early July 800 had been seen.
Mr Williams said he has concerns the curlew had “possibly 10 years” left before they vanished from all but managed areas in Wales.
He said: “That would be really sad for a breeding bird, that would once have been quite common, particularly in upland areas.
“The curlew needs extensive rough grassy pasture or hay meadows really. They are the areas that they favour really.
“The uplands in Wales should be superb for them.
“This decline is probably due to habitat through farming method changes.”
About 100 redshank, 90 oystercatcher and 190 black-tailed godwit had also flown to the centre early.