A curly Curlew
Having a Curlew fly over is always a thrill, especially if I can hear it call. It’s the haunting last sound of the British wilderness.
We need to rewild vast areas of wetland before vast areas are rewilded for us by the changing climate.
And we’ll all be richer for a little more wilderness in our hearts.
More Curlews
Curlew in flight The brief warmth of the sun in the afternoon on a cold day was a welcome interlude on a trip… read more
Whaup on a stab There's a Curlew on a fence post, or, as Orcadians might say, a Whaup on a stab. I've slowed the… read more
Curlew flypast A chance encounter with a Curlew always improves my day. They're my emotional connection to the wilderness we've lost. read more
The Third Ladybird Book of British Birds – #16 The Curlew I’m currently reading the third volume of the Ladybird Book of British Birds and their nests from the 1950s. Times… read more
The divine right of kings and wildlife on the menu I've discovered the fabulous menu of a dinner fit for a king, eaten in 1625, served in a local house… read more
Whaup in Buttercups Whaup is the Orcadian name for the Eurasian Curlew, Numenius arquata. Here's one flying above the Buttercups in Westray: They're… read more
Curlew It's a warm evening, bathed in orange light. I hear the call first. Then it's the flypast. It's a Curlew.… read more
Last call of the Curlew Every time I mention that Curlews are threatened, that their populations are collapsing, that several of the species worldwide are… read more
Grass Snakes, King Curlews and their Lapwing attendants Any patch of good weather means there's a chance of cutting hay for silage. The people of Westray have perfected… read more