Bog Myrtle & Peat

Just worth mentioning that although I heard the first curlew of the year six days ago, they all seem to have gone away again. There’s no doubt that this is a good move, since a fairly constant easterly wind over the past week has brought endless sleet, snow and slush. Tomorrow is forecast for heavy snow which will last throughout the weekend, so it’s hardly surprising that the curlews are ducking out. After all, it’s only ten or twelve miles down to the Solway Firth, where the temperature is much cooler and there is a huge amount of food on offer in the soft mud.

It does raise a question or two about timing. Usually, the curlews seem to arrive singly and then shake themselves into pairs over the course of a fortnight. The last singletons and threesomes are ironed out by the beginning of April and then the pairs set to the task of breeding. What effect will this cold weather have on that normal behaviour, now that almost three weeks have been wasted?