Curlew Tales

There is magic in nature everyday. Decades ago, after finishing my lecture in a professional meet, I ventured into Mulki, a hidden gem nestled in the coastal region of Karnataka, in the company of the hugely talented birder, Ramit Singal. It was a bit chilly in the morning and as I scanned the landscape I had the first glimpse of the Eurasian Curlew. It was standing at the edge of the water on its stilt-like legs, probing the ground with its long, curved bill. It was absorbing to watch its slow, rhythmic movements as it sauntered across the land, in search of food. Though at first sight it looked ungainly, there was an unmistakable aura of majesty in the bird. 
There is a curious tale of the curlew and a Christian saint, Beuno. According to legend, St Beuno, a 7th century Welsh abbot was on a journey from the Lleyn Peninsula to Anglesey. The small boat that he was travelling in, was suddenly rocked by a gust of wind and his book of sermons dropped into the sea. St Beuno was distraught as he watched it sink. It was at this point that a miracle happened. A brown bird with a long, downward curving bill wheeled out from the shore and swooped down to the water, picked up the book and returned it to the shore to dry on the rocks. Overcome with gratitude, St Beuno blessed the curlew and decreed that from that moment on, curlew nests would always be difficult to find and should be protected for ever. Indeed curlew nests are notoriously difficult to spot! 21st April, which is the feast day of Saint Beuno, the patron saint of curlews, is also celebrated as World Curlew Day.
Curlews have complex pitch variations and harmonics that are often described as haunting, but can also be ecstatic. Robert Burns wrote, ‘I never heard the solitary whistle of curlew on a summer noon without feeling an elevation of soul, like the enthusiasm of devotion or poetry.’ At night, however, the same sound was believed to emanate from the dreaded Seven Whistlers. In both Welsh and English mythology, these birds of doom fly across the night sky, and to hear them is to be warned of death. But, as the traditional Welsh ballad ‘The Curlew’ mentions, they combine both joy and despair :
“Your call is heard at high noon-day
A wistful flute across the mere,
As herdsman’s whistle far away.
Your call is heard at midnight clear
then hear we, as you swell your keen,
Barking afar, your hounds unseen.”
Mary Colwell wrote a memorable book, ‘Curlew Moon’ documenting her 500 mile journey across varied landscapes of the UK, observing and documenting the curlews. The first World Curlew Day in 2017 was her  brain-child to shine a light on the plight of this unique bird.  
There is sheer beauty in the avian kingdom. Every time I observe a bird like the curlew it widens my perspective, and I immerse myself in the sounds, colours and patterns that I was not aware of before. It opens the door to an endless repository of wonder.  
“As I watch
The bird spreads its wings
Soars across the sky
Leaving its footprints
In my memory”
The Curlew would love to know what you think of it and do pen your thoughts here!