The curlew holds a cherished place in Welsh folklore and culture, its bubbling, haunting call traditionally regarded by many as a harbinger of spring. However, numbers of the wading bird have declined to such low levels that a major plan involving a string of conservation groups, the farming community and the Welsh government has been […]
Tag: curlews
Stonechats at Longridge Fell
On my recent travels around Longridge Fell I have come across some stonechats. These beautiful little birds can often be seen perching in prominent positions and announcing their presence with their distinctive calls. They are a lovely little bird to photograph and I was lucky to be able to capture some nice images of the […]
POLL: Is it justified to kill wild birds to protect the public?
The government’s conservation watchdog has issued licences to destroy 170,000 wild birds, eggs and nests, including rare and declining species such as curlews and swifts, in the past five years. Natural England has given permission to kill birds of more than 70 species, or have their nests and eggs destroyed. These include peregrine falcons, barn […]
Bitterns, curlews and lapwings at risk as vital wildlife funds dry up
They are some of the most elusive birds to nest in the UK. Indeed, they hide so well in their reedbed homes that ornithologists can only estimate bittern numbers by counting the sources of the booming sounds made by males in summer. It is a census that has produced alarming results. Only 11 booming bitterns […]
A forestry boom is turning Ireland into an ecological dead zone
We all love trees. We think of woods and forests as green lungs, peaceful spaces, brimming with wildlife. So when Europe’s least forested country, Ireland, sets a target to increase tree cover from 11% to 18% by 2046, we should all applaud, shouldn’t we? Unfortunately the new woodland rising across Ireland is an ecological dead […]
POLL: Should crows and foxes be culled to protect ground-nesting birds?
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has been rocked by a furious row over its controversial culling of crows and foxes on its reserves. Outraged members took to social media to say they are resigning over the killings, which are intended to protect the eggs of ground-nesting birds such as curlews. Those complaining […]
Sunderland Point
I recently had a couple of visits to Sunderland Point on the Lune Estuary. This is a remote and beautiful part of Lancashire and requires an amount of planning before any visit. It is a finger of land surrounded on one side by the estuary of the River Lune and on the other by part […]
So quiet
Some spring days just feel birdless and today was one of those. After getting a feeling over Easter that things were warming up I expected quite a bit from today but was to be very disappointed. An overnight frost and cloudless, windless skies in the morning seemed just to have encouraged birds to move on […]