The elusive bird's eggs, which came within inches of the flames of a major forest fire earlier this year, have had a happy ending.
Four oystercatcher eggs rescued by firefighters from a fire in Brookeborough, County Fermanagh, have hatched.
The chicks will eventually be released into the wild, and conservationists are very happy about this.
Curlews were once common, but their numbers have declined in recent years and it is now estimated that only 150 breeding pairs of curlews remain in Northern Ireland.
Roisin Normanley, from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), told BBC News NI that the curlew nest had been fenced off to protect it, but within 24 hours a bushfire had broken out.
At the peak of the fire, 85 firefighters fought it, but despite the difficult conditions, they managed to protect the nest.
Normanley said fire crews "contained the fire while we got the eggs out.".
She said: "When we got there, the fire was about a metre from the nest, so it was quite close to the bones.".
«"But we got there just in time.".
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said it worked with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the eggs were "safely removed for incubation" to give them "a chance of survival".
A number of organisations were involved in the conservation efforts, including the Forest Service, the Northern Ireland Wildlife Dog Service and the Sliabh Beag Curlew Trust.
Normanly explained that the eggs were "collected very carefully, individually wrapped and packed in a tin biscuit box" for transport to the incubator.
Sliabh Beag Curlew Conservation Trust chairman Dr John Cusak said the eggs had been incubating for just under four weeks.
«"All four [chickens] are happy, healthy and doing great, and we are very happy about that," he said.
«"We're going to release them back into the wild and hopefully they'll be okay once they're back in the wild.".
«"Ideally, you want them to spend time with their parents, to be nurtured by their parents, and to acquire the necessary skills. But it's still very, very important.".
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Normanly said the chicks are still "quite vulnerable," but will be moved to aviaries when they are about three weeks old.
Once they learn to fly and fend for themselves, the RSPB plans to release them fairly close to their place of origin.
Dr Caroline Finlay, director of conservation at Detection Dogs NI, said: "Birds previously bred in captivity are now successfully nesting on Sliabh Beag, which is fantastic.".
«"It's not a common occurrence, but it's great to see that it's possible.".
«"These chicks are eventually able to build their own nests, lay eggs and raise their own young, so it's a wonderful story," Finlay said.
What should you do if you see a curlew?
«"These birds are perfectly camouflaged," Finlay said, "which means you could be standing a couple of meters away from one and not notice it.".
He urged people who did spot them not to disturb the birds or the nest, but to contact the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) or the Sliabh Beag Curlew Conservation Trust.
Finlay also urged people to keep their dogs on leashes.
A video of a curlew with a nest and eggs, provided by the Sliabh Beagh Curlew Conservation Trust, emerged on social media over the weekend.
Commenting on the find, the Trust said: "For a species whose numbers in Ireland have declined by more than 98% since the 1980s, this is a truly significant and encouraging conservation milestone.".
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Nest of 'remarkable' endangered bird discovered.
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Eggs of an elusive bird rescued by firefighters during a forest fire.
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A fruitful year for nesting waders on Upper Lake Erne.