Few birds look as characterful as a stone-curlew. That big yellow eye immediately draws your attention, their plumage is beautiful and practical, and their thick and knobbly legs round off a bird I never get tired of looking at on a magazine page. I’ve been enamoured with them since, but I’d never actually seen one in real life before. Just a couple of weeks ago I decided that the prospect of seeing them and their chicks at NWT Weeting Heath near RSPB Lakenheath Fen was just too much to ignore.
The timing was perfect. The eggs lying on the dirt of a Norfolk heath, kept snug by those stunning brown streaks and speckles, were set to hatch any day. We had planned a late morning arrival and picnic lunch in the area: Weeting Heath and then a quick swim in the Little Ouse at Santon Downham. The weather was perfect (this was just days before this seemingly never ending dirge of boring cool and wet July weather hit), and expectations were high. Before we even got started with the stone-curlews, we were very surprised to enter the visitors' centre and be treated to two swallows darting between the rafters and their nest.
What a treat! Imagine spending a lazy Sunday volunteering here, getting to see the relationship build between these two (Photo: Jack Plumb)
After the intimate swallow encounter, we (quietly) charged to the best hide. There she was, in perfect view, but with no chicks. It was a minor disappointment, but barely worth thinking about as I finally saw that big eye for real in the Norfolk sun. The feeders around the corner were swarming with freshly fledged birds, too. Tiny balls of fresh feathers and bits of fluff, some of them difficult to recognise, all flitting for a drink and a feed. And to top off the brief visit to Weeting, a spotted flycatcher was calling.
If you’re a wild swimming fan or completely new to it and keen to have a go, I couldn’t recommend a better place than Santon Downham in Thetford Forest. The water was beautifully clear, the access to the water was easy, and the river bed was sandy. All great things on their own, but then throw in free nearby car parking and facilities and you’re laughing and splashing away in no time. Plus I saw a new damselfly for me – a willow emerald, which is doubly good as I’ve been too lazy to track any new Odonata down recently.
Even having seen a stone-curlew in the feather, I still can’t get enough of them. For you, but mostly for me really, here’s a bunch of great stone-curlew shots.
I'm feeling cross, so no chicks for you today, Jack (Photo: Flickr creative commons, Bernard DUPONT)
Yes, yes, my legs are fantastic. *Sigh* here's one final look... (Photo: Flickr creative commons, Michele Lamberti)
This is how I sits. Me too! (Photo: Flickr creative commons, Ali Arsh)
If you’d like to find out more about how we’re helping stone-curlews, head to this link.
Jack