“…peace, rest, healing joy, an assurance of happiness past, present and to come.” from The Charm of Birds by Edward Grey
Where I live, at the edge of the West Pennine moors, the largest European wading bird, the curlew, comes inland to breed in the summer months. They nest on the ground in a “scrape”, favouring rough grassland, moorland and boggy areas.
We provide all three in abundance in this area of Lancashire and are rewarded with the song and flight of these wonderful creatures.
To see them in flight is certainly memorable as they are so distinctive with their long, curved bill which is referenced in their scientific name, Numenius arquata (meaning new moon and bow-like). It is, however, the song of the curlew which has gifted me with some delightfully mindful moments. I think it is best described by Lord Edward Grey (1862-1933) who was a liberal politician and a devoted ornithologist who was part of the group that eventually led to the founding of the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) in 1932.
"Of all bird songs or sounds known to me there is none that I would prefer than the spring notes of the Curlew…The notes... suggest peace, rest, healing joy, an assurance of happiness past, present and to come. To listen to Curlews on a bright, clear April day, with the fullness of spring still in anticipation, is one of the best experiences that a lover of birds can have."
Some have claimed to find the bubbling sound quite mournful but to me it is a completely uplifting privilege to hear a curlew. What is heart breaking though is that curlews are threatened with extinction in the UK and Ireland and in 2015 were added to the Red list on the UK Conservation Status report. 50% of the breeding population has been lost in the last 20 years. In addition, when you learn that a quarter of the world’s population of curlews breed in the UK you appreciate just how shocking this statistic is.
(Curlew painting by Beth)
For further information and ways to help, you might like to explore the following:
Action for Curlew | Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust - gwct.org.uk
Saving curlews | WWT
Curlew Bird Facts | Numenius Arquata - The RSPB
BTO Curlew Appeal | BTO - British Trust for Ornithology
