Curlews

Another curlew breeding season is over, here in the Durham North Pennine foothills.

Their calls, as they fly over my house towards Weardale, are one the the early signs of spring that I always look forward to. This is one of the first birds to arrive, back in late March, in meadows about a mile from my home,

Their long gliding courtship flights, trailing their bubbling calls in their wake, are amongst the most evocative sights and sounds in nature.

Part of a flock of about a dozen birds, with Weardale in the distance, at the end of the breeding season

I saw these youngsters, still with some downy feathers on their heads, in a meadow about a week ago. Their parents put up a spirited defence against a buzzard that showed too much interest in them, harassing it until it left the scene.

Since then I haven't heard any curlew calls locally, so they must now be on their way to the coast.