Lovely words Felicity, so evocative of the nature you were experiencing. We used to live on the Forest of Bowland when we were in Yorkshire, and delighted in the arrival of the first lapwings, the. curlews and oyster catchers to breed on the moor, early March. Even here, when I hear them all call I am transported back to Yorkshire and the sweeping plaintive cries that continued all night, and then silence when the young were raised and they left again.
Forest of Bowland is great for breeding waders. We have a moorland road near here that I first drove in 1980, way before I moved here. Back then you could stop the car in spring and see chicks of lapwing, oystercatcher and curlew without getting out. Now we seldom see any.
I can’t help but think that decades of drenching sheep with noxious chemicals that kill invertebrates has poisoned the soil so that there are far fewer insects around for chicks to feed on.
We left Bowland in 2016, since then the estate has become more commercial! We used to regularly see hen harriers quartering the moors. I hold out little hope that they are still there:(
Beautiful poems. I really enjoyed these!
I also like the phrase 'murmurs of nature' and live the dawn mist photo. Thankyou 🙏☺️
Thank you. And thanks for restacking.
I enjoyed these Felicity. The melancholy of 'Cry of the Curlew'; the sheer joy of 'Autumn Visitors'; and the sharp form of 'Fulmar'. Thanks.
Thank you Amy. I hesitated about sharing these, so I’m glad you enjoyed them.
I loved them all but ‘Fulmar’ was particularly great.
Thank you Alastair for your kind words.
That’s interesting as I had more doubts about *Fulmar*.
They are a bird I love. I’ve walked so many cliffs and shores in the companionship of gliding fulmars as benign observers.
Lovely words Felicity, so evocative of the nature you were experiencing. We used to live on the Forest of Bowland when we were in Yorkshire, and delighted in the arrival of the first lapwings, the. curlews and oyster catchers to breed on the moor, early March. Even here, when I hear them all call I am transported back to Yorkshire and the sweeping plaintive cries that continued all night, and then silence when the young were raised and they left again.
Thank you Sarah. That’s lovely encouragement.
Forest of Bowland is great for breeding waders. We have a moorland road near here that I first drove in 1980, way before I moved here. Back then you could stop the car in spring and see chicks of lapwing, oystercatcher and curlew without getting out. Now we seldom see any.
I can’t help but think that decades of drenching sheep with noxious chemicals that kill invertebrates has poisoned the soil so that there are far fewer insects around for chicks to feed on.
We left Bowland in 2016, since then the estate has become more commercial! We used to regularly see hen harriers quartering the moors. I hold out little hope that they are still there:(
That's sad to hear. Sounds as if shooting interests are winning out.