There are few other birds, perhaps Redshank, whose call sends shivers down my spine and cause the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up.
The Curlew, what a dignified bird this is, I believe that it is the largest of the waders that reside in our Islands.
Off topic, talk of the hairs on the back of your neck remind me of the origination of the British use of the word Rough neck.
Back in the Regency era upper crust '' Gentlemen '' had barbers who apart from shaving their faces also shaved the hair on the back of their necks, manual workers and the '' lower classes '' didn't have their necks shaved thus became Rough necks - nowadays the word is mainly used to describe workers in the oil exploration and drilling Industry.
Funny old world !.
A very heavy onshore wind was really ruffling this Curlews feathers, there are few hiding places on the salt marsh mudflats if you need to feed and replenish your energy levels.
The Curlew really is a master of disguise and from above must present little evidence of their presence to predators, they are also ( I seem to recall ) our largest wader so maybe not at the top of the list with smaller and potentially more vulnerable species more attractive to a quick stoop and swoop.
To hear the plaintive call of this bird resonating over wild and desolate coastal places and remote inland sites is a sound that you will never forget, but in my youth it was a sound that could also be heard in lowland rural areas before agricultural farming practices became so intensive, what a sad loss.
I often think that domestic pets have their owners to provide, look after and protect them ...... who's looking after our birds ?, you can, by supporting your local Wildlife Trusts, then maybe your grandchildren will still be able to see and hear species such as this.
Sadly, I fear that this may not be the case.
I don't know if it had been feeding on the reserve, sadly one of the best scrapes for passage waders, only created a couple of years ago, is in front of the ENEB hide which was vandalised and is currently out of use.
What a bird, their plaintive call makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, always a pleasure to see one.
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