Curlew

When: Winter along the estuaries and mudflats, summer on moorlands and higher ground

Scientific name: Numenius arquata

Gaelic name: Guilbneach

Scots Name: Whaup, whitterick

Size: 50 - 60cm tall, wingspan 90cm

Good places to see them in the Inner Forth: Mud flats along the Forth Estuary, Kinneil Foreshore, Culross

The curlew is one of the most distinctive birds found in the Inner Forth landscape, and one of the more important ecologically. Easy to recognise with its long, down curved bill and haunting call, curlews are much loved across the landscape, with their presence indicating the changing of seasons across different habitats. Farmers and hill shepherds have traditionally celebrated the return of the curlew to the moors, heralding the arrival of spring, while the curlew is a welcome wild sighting during winter along the muddy shore of the Inner Forth.

Robert Burns used the term 'lang leggity beasties' to descibe the curlew, as they are indeed the largest wading bird in Britain. The female is larger than the male, with a longer, thicker bill - easy to distinguish when both are seen together. This bill helps them to filter through the muddy shorelines or stubble fields, where curlews gather to feed on invertebrates and shellfish. To see the curlew along the banks of the Forth is a real treat, especially for those from further afield who may be uinfamiliar with the wader.

The 'wheeple of the whaup' is a well known Scots expression describing the curlew's cry. Internationally renowned falconer and writer Philip Glasier of Selkirk once wrote a letter, celebrating the curlew : "The curlews are back on the hill, also the sea pies (oystercatchers). The curlew's song is far better than any old nightingale, I reckon." And sure enough, the song is a truly enchanting one, simultaneously capturing the spirit of a misty winter morn on the estuary, or a fresh spring dawn on a moorside.

For more information, visit: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/c/curlew/index.aspx