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30-552: 53°35′10″N 1°55′44″W  /  53.586°N 1.929°W  / 53.586; -1.929 The Wessenden Valley is a moorland valley in the Dark Peak , immediately south of Marsden in West Yorkshire , England. The name Wessenden derives from Old English and means the 'valley with rock suitable for whetstones'. The valley was formed by retreating glaciers at the end of the last ice age and continues to be cut by

60-472: A sensitivity to nature and one's physical surroundings grew with the rise of interest in landscape painting , and particularly the works of artists that favoured wide and deep prospects, and rugged scenery. To the English Romantic imagination, moorlands fitted this image perfectly, enhancing the emotional impact of the story by placing it within a heightened and evocative landscape. Moorland forms

90-452: Is overgrazed , woody vegetation is often lost, being replaced by coarse, unpalatable grasses and bracken , with a greatly reduced fauna. Some hill sheep breeds, such as Scottish Blackface and the Lonk , thrive on the austere conditions of heather moors. Burning of moorland has been practised for a number of reasons, for example, when grazing is insufficient to control growth. This

120-664: Is highly gregarious outside the breeding season. The nest is a bare scrape on taiga , meadow, and similar habitats. The clutch size of the curlew consists of four eggs which are laid in April or May, and the mother incubates them for about a month until they begin to hatch. It has been observed that curlews tend to nest close to common kestrels ’ nests, as they can offer protection from other predators, such as corvids , even though kestrels also prey on curlew nests. The Eurasian curlew feeds by probing soft mud for small invertebrates , but will also pick small crabs and earthworms from

150-892: Is home to an estimated 10–15% of the world's moors. Notable areas of upland moorland in Britain include the Lake District , the Pennines (including the Dark Peak and Forest of Bowland ), Mid Wales , the Southern Uplands of Scotland, the Scottish Highlands , and a few pockets in the West Country . Moorlands are called páramos in Spanish. They are particularly common in Northern Spain and

180-410: Is important for the material to be removed to avoid smothering regrowth. If heather and other vegetation are left for too long, a large volume of dry and combustible material builds up. This may result in a wildfire burning out a large area, although it has been found that heather seeds germinate better if subject to the brief heat of controlled burning. In terms of managing moorlands for wildlife, in

210-546: Is now placed with eight other curlews in the genus Numenius that was introduced by the French ornithologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760. The genus name Numenius is from Ancient Greek νουμήνιος, noumēnios , a bird mentioned by Hesychius . It is associated with the curlew because it appears to be derived from neos , "new" and mene "moon", referring to the crescent-shaped bill. The species name arquata

240-572: Is one of the most widespread of the curlews , breeding across temperate Europe and Asia . In Europe, this species is often referred to just as the "curlew", and in Scotland known as the "whaup" in Scots . The Eurasian curlew was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Scolopax arquata . It

270-496: Is recorded in Britain in the fourteenth century. Uncontrolled burning frequently caused (and causes) problems and was forbidden by statute in 1609. With the rise of sheep and grouse management in the nineteenth century, it again became common practice. Heather is burnt at about 10 or 12 years old when it will regenerate easily. Left longer, the woodier stems will burn more aggressively and will hinder regrowth. Burning of moorland vegetation needs to be very carefully controlled, as

300-726: Is the Medieval Latin name for this bird, derived from Latin arcuatus , "bow-shaped", and again referring to the shape of the bill. The English name "curlew" is imitative of the Eurasian curlew's call, but may have been influenced by the Old French corliu , "messenger", from courir , "to run". It was first recorded in 1377 in Langland's Piers Plowman " Fissch to lyue in þe flode..Þe corlue by kynde of þe eyre ". Three subspecies are recognised: The Eurasian curlew

330-401: Is the largest wader in its range, at 50–60 cm (20–24 in) in length, with an 89–106 cm (35–42 in) wingspan and a body weight of 410–1,360 g (0.90–3.00 lb). It is mainly greyish brown, with a white back, greyish-blue legs and a very long curved bill. Males and females look identical, but the bill is longest in the adult female. It is generally not possible to recognize

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360-522: The Marianas . It is present all year in the milder climates of Ireland and the United Kingdom and its adjacent European coasts. Reclamation and drainage of marshy fields and moorland , and afforestation of the latter, have led to local decreases, while conversion of forest to grassland in some parts of Scandinavia has led to increases there. The Eurasian curlew is generally wary. It

390-476: The Meseta Central . Two similar habitats, although more arid, found in western North America: Colombia is one of only three countries in the world to be home to páramo (tropical moorland) and more than 60% of the paramo regions are found on its soil. Eurasian curlew The Eurasian curlew or common curlew ( Numenius arquata ) is a very large wader in the family Scolopacidae . It

420-602: The Wessenden Brook a tributary of the River Colne with a catchment of 6.28 square miles (16.27 km). The valley is in the Marsden Moor Estate and occupied by four reservoirs, namely Wessenden Head , Wessenden , Blakeley and Butterley , the largest. The Kirklees Way and Pennine Way long-distance footpaths follow the valley. The upper part of the valley near Wessenden Head is managed by

450-523: The National Trust as part of the 5,000-acre (2,000 ha) Marsden Moor Estate. Butterley Reservoir's spillway, the only one of its kind in England, was a Grade II Listed structure until Yorkshire Water renovated it using concrete after winning a case on appeal. Moorland Moorland habitats mostly occur in tropical Africa , northern and western Europe , and South America . Most of

480-462: The UK, vegetation characteristics are important for passerine abundance, whilst predator control benefits red grouse, golden plover, and curlew abundances. To benefit multiple species, many management options are required. However, management needs to be carried out in locations that are also suitable for species in terms of physical characteristics such as topography, climate and soil. The development of

510-491: The associated fauna consists of bird species such as red grouse , hen harrier , merlin , golden plover , curlew , skylark , meadow pipit , whinchat , ring ouzel , and twite . Other species dominate in moorlands elsewhere. Reptiles are few due to the cooler conditions. In Europe, only the common viper is frequent, though in other regions moorlands are commonly home to dozens of reptile species. Amphibians such as frogs are well represented in moorlands. When moorland

540-510: The deforestation was caused by climatic changes and how much by human activity is uncertain. A variety of distinct habitat types are found in different world regions of moorland. The wildlife and vegetation forms often lead to high endemism because of the severe soil and microclimate characteristics. An example of this is the Exmoor Pony , a rare horse breed which has adapted to the harsh conditions in England's Exmoor . In Europe,

570-465: The latter have a smaller body, a slightly upturned beak, and legs that do not reach far beyond their tail tips. The Eurasian curlew's feet are longer, forming a conspicuous "point". The curlew exists as a migratory species over most of its range, wintering in Africa , southern Europe and south Asia . Occasionally a vagrant individual reaches places far from its normal range, such as Nova Scotia and

600-476: The most extensive areas of semi-natural vegetation in the British Isles . The eastern British moorlands are similar to heaths but are differentiated by having a covering of peat . On western moors, the peat layer may be several metres thick. Scottish "muirs" are generally heather moors, but also have extensive covering of grass , cotton-grass , mosses , bracken and under-shrubs such as crowberry , with

630-460: The peat itself can catch fire, and this can be difficult if not impossible to extinguish. In addition, uncontrolled burning of heather can promote alternative bracken and rough grass growth, which ultimately produces poorer grazing. As a result, burning is now a controversial practice; Rackham calls it "second-best land management". Mechanical cutting of the heather has been used in Europe, but it

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660-630: The population is estimated to have declined by more than 50% in England and Scotland, more than 80% in Wales, and more than 90% in Ireland. At the end of 2015 it was placed on the United Kingdom's red list of most endangered bird species. The curlew is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds ( AEWA ) applies. Research by scientists at

690-797: The setting of various works of late Romantic English literature, ranging from the Yorkshire moorland in Emily Brontë 's Wuthering Heights and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett to Dartmoor in Arthur Conan Doyle 's Holmesian mystery The Hound of the Baskervilles . They are also featured in Charlotte Bronte 's Jane Eyre representing the heroine's desolation and loneliness after leaving Mr Rochester . Enid Blyton 's Famous Five series featured

720-565: The sex of a single Eurasian curlew, or even several ones, as there is much variation; telling male and female of a mated pair apart is usually possible however. The familiar call is a loud curloo-oo . The only similar species over most of the curlew's range is the Eurasian whimbrel ( Numenius phaeopus ). The whimbrel is smaller and has a shorter bill with a kink rather than a smooth curve. Flying curlews may also resemble bar-tailed godwits ( Limosa lapponica ) in their winter plumages; however,

750-503: The surface if the opportunity arises. Eurasian curlews eggs are preyed on by foxes and predatory birds. In addition sheep have been recorded by the BBC nature series Springwatch preying on the eggs. The Eurasian curlew was formerly listed as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN , owing to its expansive range and relatively large population. However, the population of the Eurasian curlew

780-526: The true story of some of England's most infamous witch trials. In Erin Hunter 's Warriors series, one of the four Clans, WindClan, lives in the moorland alone. Michael Jecks , author of Knights Templar Mysteries, sets his books in and around Dartmoor , England. Paul Kingsnorth ’s Beast is also set on a western English moor, using the barren landscape and fields of heather to communicate themes of timelessness and distance from civilization. Great Britain

810-519: The wetter moorland having sphagnum moss merging into bog-land . There is uncertainty about how many moors were created by human activity. Oliver Rackham writes that pollen analysis shows that some moorland, such as in the islands and extreme north of Scotland, are clearly natural, never having had trees, whereas much of the Pennine moorland area was forested in Mesolithic times. How much

840-410: The world's moorlands are diverse ecosystems . In the extensive moorlands of the tropics, biodiversity can be extremely high. Moorland also bears a relationship to tundra (where the subsoil is permafrost or permanently frozen soil), appearing as the tundra and the natural tree zone. The boundary between tundra and moorland constantly shifts with climatic change . Heathland and moorland are

870-509: The young protagonists adventuring across various moorlands where they confronted criminals or other individuals of interest. Such a setting enhanced the plot as the drama unfolded away from the functioning world where the children could solve their own problems and face greater danger. Moorland in the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire is the setting for Walter Bennett's The Pendle Witches ,

900-414: Was noticed to be declining at a very rapid rate. Following the evaluation of its population trend, the classification was found to be outdated, and it was consequently promoted to Near Threatened status in 2008. Though it is a common bird, its numbers are noticeably declining, particularly in the United Kingdom and Ireland, which have about a quarter of the global population. In the twenty years up to 2016,

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