Creative Irish Curlews

There is an extraordinary passage in What the Curlew Said – Nostos Continued by the Irish writer and philosopher John Moriarty.  He describes listening to a curlew calling on a beach in County Kerry.

“What an unearthly aria that call was.

Sometimes I would think, it isn’t a call at all.

But if it isn’t, what is it?

Is it a spontaneity of eternity that has somehow come through into time?

Hearing his voice, a god who had made the curlew would almost instantly want to remake himself as the thing he had made.

Photo by Peter Rutt

Universes he couldn’t call into being with a human voice he could call into being with the voice of a curlew.”

Few other birds evoke such strong images - other worlds, other universes, other ways of being. But when you hear a curlew call, it is not so difficult to understand.  To listen to the clear, sharp “curlee, curlee,” firing like arrows across the horizon, or to the urgent crescendo of bubbling notes rippling out over the bog, is to hear mystical music that touches something deep in our psyche.  John Moriarty is not the first to be enchanted by curlews, and he will not be the last.

The Irish have woven this stilty-legged, crescent-billed wading bird into their lives for as long as there has been myth, music, parable and poetry. They appear in the earliest folktales where they are storm birds, warning fishermen to turn their boats for home, or farmers of oncoming rain.  They are said to have saved St Patrick from drowning when they called him to shore when he was lost at sea in heavy mist. A medieval monk, disturbed from his nightly prayers, wrote, “The Curlew cannot sleep at all/His voice is shrill across the deep/Reverberations of the storm;/Between the streams he will not sleep.” It is a bird of the wild, wet fields and bogs, of windswept estuary and rocky shore. For many it is the quintessential voice of the wilderness. It is also the sound of internal desolation - a broken heart. W B Yeats refers to curlews many times in his writings, most famously in his poem, “He Reproves the Curlew”

O curlew cry no more to the air,

Or only to the water in the West;

Because your crying brings to my mind

Passion-dimmed eyes and long heavy hair

That was shaken out over my breast.

There is enough evil in the crying of the wind.

The cry of the curlew has been used throughout time to expresses fear, mysticism, lost love, joy and wild places. It is a malleable, shape-shifting call that has ignited many creative sparks.  It is one of the great gifts of the natural world that in its variety of colour, shape and sound it helps us to express the intangible and to give voice to inner feelings.  The creatures and landscapes of the earth are part of our creativity and fundamental to a vibrant culture.  “It seems to me,” said David Attenbrough, “that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.”

It would be a tragedy then, to allow the Curlew, a bird that has provided so much inspiration, to slip away. If Ireland allows the curlew to fall silent, it loses so much more than just another species, it loses part of Irish heritage. In the late 1980s there were around 5,000 curlews breeding throughout the country, they were a common sight and anyone over the age of 40 will remember them.  The first national Curlew survey was completed by NPWS in 2017 and there are now less than 130 pairs left. That is an astonishing decline. It is not an exaggeration to say that Curlew are facing extinction in Southern Ireland in less than 10 years. That sentence is almost too hard to write, it sounds like extreme fear-mongering - too exaggerated.  Yet the figures are stark.  The graph of Curlew population plotted against time plummets downwards and will hit zero very soon indeed. And this has happened on our watch.

Curlew on Malahide beach

Ignorance is no excuse in law, but it seems to be in conservation. When I walked across Ireland, Wales and Scotland in 2016 to raise awareness about the decline of the Curlew, I was astonished how few people knew what was happening to this once common bird.  And that included nature lovers and bird watchers.   Our interconnected, info-rich world is somehow failing when it comes to connecting us with the life that lives all around. How do we bridge that gap?  What will energise us to take an interest and to act? Because if we don’t, then one day very soon we will look out over bog and field and realise the curlew sings no more.

The disappearance of curlews is due to a perfect storm of inappropriate forestry, draining of wet land, intensification of fields, increase in predators such as foxes and crows and the mass stripping of bogs. There are no easy solutions, but there are ways forward that are being explored by the Curlew Task Force, set up in January 2017. The Curlew Task Force is a unique working group of farmers, conservationists, foresters, turf cutters, academics and the NPWS, who are determined to find ways to work together to help Curlew across Ireland.  As there are so few nests left in the Republic, time is of the essence.  The Curlew Conservation Programme is the primary vehicle for enacting conservation measures on the ground, where they matter most. Some nests will have electric fences erected around them to protect the eggs from foxes.  Increased fox and crow control in the nesting season will also give the chicks a greater chance of survival.  Cooperation with turf cutters and farmers to leave areas where birds are nesting until the chicks are fledged will give the birds added safety.  Vegetation can also be managed to give the curlews the varied heights of sward they need for nesting and feeding. Eggs are often laid in long grass for protection but growing chicks need to feed in shorter grass with lots of insects. In some bogs, drainage ditches will be blocked to re-wet the ground, which curlews prefer for nesting, and softer ground is easier to probe by their long, sensitive bills. Agreements with foresters will be sought to protect nesting and foraging sites from plantations.

And while the land managers and professional conservationists do their work, the rest of us must learn to listen out for and to love the Curlew again.  Understanding what is happening to them is vital to halt the decline. Raising awareness about where they breed and what they need has to be increased. We need to teach our children to recognise their beautiful calls, and to tell them the stories and poems that celebrate this birds’ long association with culture. We need to go out on a warm summer evening and revel in that fluty trill - that sound of the Irish summer – that has inspired poets and mystics through time.

Ireland has a long and rich connection to nature, the roots are there, they only need be nurtured once again for Ireland to be truly green and full of life.  Bringing back the Curlew from the brink of extinction as a breeding bird will be a huge positive step towards a brighter future for all of life on the Emerald Isle.

World Curlew Day is on April 21, my book Curlew Moon is out on April 19, published by William Collins.

Oh - and the fabulous World Curlew Day logo was designed by my cousin Nicola Duffy from Letterkenny!

Podcast on John Muir

A podcast I did with an internet site called Soul of California has just gone live. It was good to talk to Richard Dion, the producer, about the life of Muir and his legacy. Strange isn't it the symbol of California is a grizzly bear, but they were exterminated from the state in 1922 - when the last one was shot.

St Bueno and the Curlew

              

                        St Beuno and the Eurasian curlew ("Eurasian Curlew" by Andreas Trepte)

In the 7th C AD the grand old welsh St Bueno was sailing between  Llanddwyn and Clynnog when he dropped his prayer book onto the sea.  Suddenly a curlew swooped down, scooped up the book and took it to the shore where it was laid out to dry on rocks.  When St Bueno arrived he was so grateful he blessed the curlew and prayed for its protection.  Hence forth the nest of this most lovely of birds is very difficult to find.

In fact today in Wales it is even more difficult to find as it seems the prayer of St Bueno has run out of steam.  According to a report from the BTO this month "Curlew is one of the upland species that has shown the greatest decline (-49%) and is now considered too be the UK's highest conservation priority." Declines are particularly evident in southern Ireland and Wales.  See this excellent blog by Graham Appleton.

How can this be?  In Ireland curlew were legally shot during November but due to the drastic fall in numbers (2000 breeding pairs in 2001, less than 200 today) that was banned in 2012.  Habitat loss?  Disturbance by dogs then predation of the eggs by crows? Is this a bird out of time?

What can be done?  I might walk from Norfolk to West Ireland dressed like a curlew to raise awareness - and hopefully funds.  Anyone like to join me for sections?

I'd like to walk from possibly Westport in Co Mayo to the Wash, taking in Aberffraw to visit St Bueno's church in Anglesey.

Anyone know who could help make a curlew costume? I don't want it to be whacky, rather more beautiful symbolising what curlews have given is in terms of poetry, literature, music and art. A clothes designer who can work with something waterproof and sturdy to withstand rain and wind!

Any help gratefully received.

Room-based Christianity

It dawned on me the other day that western Christianity can all be lived out in buildings.  There is no need to leave a room to be a Christian in the UK, or indeed anywhere.  You can administer to the poor, treat the sick, protect the vulnerable, pray and sing all inside.  Services are inside, sermons are written inside and delivered inside.  People don't even need to look out of a window.  Outside a room, -  that is the concern of the secular world.  And anyway too much interest in falling fish stocks, declining birds and reptiles, polluted rivers, acidifying oceans and so on could be considered pagan. Leave it to Greenpeace and the RSPB.

This is so wrong-headed I despair, but it seems to be the way things are.

Over the last few months we've had some shocking statistics, not least the WWF/Zoological Society report that showed the earth has lost 50% of its wildlife over the last 40 years.  We are thought to be in the middle of the 6th mass extinction event known on Planet Earth.  George Monbiot is right to call for an end to the war on nature.  In terms of weather and climate - 2014 is the warmest year on record and we have no end of extreme weather events from droughts, temperatures, floods and storms  recorded from every continent.  Surely there is no one out there that disagrees that the earth is destabilising and thinning out to an alarming degree, and we are to blame.  (Oh hang on - Cardinal George Pell and many evangelical Christians don't - but apart from them).

As E O wilson says, we saw the end of the Age of the Reptile (bye bye dinosaurs) are coming to the end the Age of the Mammals and entering the Age of Loneliness.  He calls it the Eremocene, a time when humanity will be accompanied by scavengers and generalists like cockroaches, corvids and mice/rats.  The vision is awful, a world of people and a thin sprinkling of those species that can take advantage of our wasted earth.  Many places on earth will be uninhabitable because of temperature and sea level rise. People will be squashed into temperate zones and fighting over fresh water, food and living space.  Gone for ever is most of life on earth, especially the specialist creatures, the beautiful, diverse splendour that makes this amazing planet unique and full of wonder.  But many think we will have gone the way of the Dodo before that happens, unable to thrive in a depleted and polluted world. Its all very depressing and demoralising.



Good news then Pope Francis is to write an encyclical on the environment, give an address to the UN General Assembly and call major faith leaders together to discuss religion and climate change (see recent Guardian article).  In October he said that climate change and loss of biodiversity were already bringing about cataclysmic change to the earth, causing poverty and distress to many, especially the poorer nations.  When the world's leaders meet in Paris in 2015 to finalise their commitments to reduce carbon emissions the Pope will be expected to make a major contribution. That is such good news, long overdue and very welcome.  1.2 billion people are supposedly Catholic, although I suspect far fewer actually do live and breathe the faith in a pure way.  It is undeniable however that Pope Francis is a moral compass in a lost world and is perhaps the only religious leader to be listened to in high places and able to draw crowds of thousands wherever he goes.  He is a religious superstar, a magnet for those looking for another voice that is far away from money power and fear.

What will he say I wonder? I hope he hits the right note and speaks to the heart of those who have the functioning of the Catholic Church in their hands, inspiring them to speak out with passion.  But I suspect in the UK (and most of the West) that won't happen. In many rich countries Catholic leaders are ageing, often worn out and over stretched.  Their problems are many and varied ranging from lack of vocations to falling numbers in pews to child abuse. The "environment" is an annoying addition to a very heavy workload.  Most (not all) clergy are theologians and historians by training and know little about nature/science.  As the Bible has little to say about humanity's relationship with the natural world that is easy to translate then it is not at all obvious what to do.  SO the best solution is to take an easy way out and equate "environment" with "climate change" - and as that will affect poorer nations first - just give the job to Cafod. Job done.  That is what has happened in England.

Cafod do a very good job in raising awareness of what a warming world will mean for poorer nations. In the US The Catholic Climate Covenant also does well, along with others.  None of them however have a position on biodiversity and habitat loss, so half of the equation is gone already.  Giving the job of the "environment" to Cafod in England is one good step, there are many, many more. But those steps require vision, interest and understanding. They require bishops to make clear, informed statements that relate faith to nature and that inspire others to act.  It requires a knowledge of what is happening to the oceans, to the soils, to the forests, to cities and plains and fields.  It requires religious leaders to look at the earth and ask big, far-reaching questions. It requires asking people to make changes to their lives  - what we eat and how we live day to day - and that might not be popular.  In short it requires a lot of energy and time and I don't think that is possible.

Sitting down to write this is hard because of years of indifference. There was a flurry of interest after Sound of Many Waters in Bristol in 2008 where I organised an event a month in Clifton Cathedral based on different environmental themes.  It was successful and well received.  An environmental group was set up to discuss environmental issues and advise the bishops, but was disbanded after a couple of years.  Since then there is only Cafod.  No bishop for the environment, no advisory group, no interest - no opinion.

Room-based Christianity has to come to an end, for all of our sakes.  I hope Francis urges 1.2 billion people to love the earth and wonder at it.  Marvel, be horrified, feel fear, be challenged, experience transporting joy and experience the reality of death.  Out there is as much the face of God as in a room, no matter how beautiful. Until we re-kindle those feelings and join all the dots then the "environment" will mean little, no matter how many dire warnings, awful stats and no matter how many fine words.

As an example of how far  English Catholicism has travelled from the reality of the world I remind you of a edict by the bishops of England and Wales in 2011.  They urged Catholics to re-connect with their Catholic identity and revert to eating fish on Friday's - to show the world who Catholics are. How depressing, ignorant and tunnel visioned is that? The oceans are in dire trouble.  Didn't they think about this?  Or perhaps it doesn't seem important? Don't they believe the stats or perhaps they are simply unaware?  Wouldn't it have been far, far better to ask Catholics to be vegetarian for at least one day a week - even better vegan. Now that would have been a thoughtful, contemporary response.

So will Pope Francis make a difference?  I hope so, but it is a hopeful light that doesn't feel too strong right now. Not a beacon shining out to show the way, more a tiny flicker in the gloom.  I Hope Francis has a good long look at my favourite verse from the Bible: John 10:10 "A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I came so that you may have life - life in all its fulness."  Life in all its fulness  - that phrase alone is worth meditating on for a very long time.

I hope Francis brings back the passion, the care, the compassion, the sense of justice, the love of life and for all its living things.  I hope he states a refusal to accept greed and money as the drivers that are devastating our world. I hope he urges every person of faith to bang tables, shout for change, demand an end to this madness and cruelty and destruction - demand that we all live in a kinder, more caring world and have a vision of abundance not desolation.

If all religious leaders stood up to be counted and said "not in my name does this continue" then perhaps we could see change.  Perhaps.

Plastic Albatrosses

Look at this haunting and very sad video on YouTube. This is why we must all keep caring and trying to change the way we live.