The Upland Soundscape

British hillwalking is as much about listening as looking. On a breezy moor or a cloud-capped fell, you might walk for an hour without a clear view of a single bird, yet the air can be full of voices. Curlews, skylarks and meadow pipits are three of the most widespread upland species, and learning their calls turns a silent slog into a conversation. The wind may snatch away a glimpse, but a call carries. Once you can separate a curlew’s mournful whistle from a meadow pipit’s quiet seep, you will start to build a mental map of the birds around you, even when they stay hidden in heather or against a grey sky.

The Curlew: A Haunting Whistle

The curlew is the emblem of the British uplands, and its call is unforgettable once learned. The common contact call is a clear, rising “cur-lee”, with the second note higher than the first. It carries a melancholy quality that suits mist and rain. In display flight, males produce a bubbling, almost manic song that ripples across the moor — a sound often described as “curlew bubbling”. Listen for it from early spring through summer, especially over rough pasture, moorland edges and wet flushes. In Scotland, the curlew is sometimes called the “whaup”, and the call is the same. Be careful not to confuse it with the whimbrel, a smaller, rarer passage migrant whose call is a rapid, trilling “seven whistles” — a series of quick notes rather than the curlew’s two-tone rise. If you hear a single, drawn-out “cur-lee” floating over a hillside, you are almost certainly in curlew country.

Skylark: The Song That Falls from the Sky

No upland walk is complete without a skylark. The song is a continuous, cascading torrent of notes, delivered from high in the air as the bird climbs and then hovers. It can last for several minutes, and it is far more sustained and musical than any other upland songster. The skylark’s flight call is a soft “chirrup” or “prrit”, often given as it rises or drops. You will hear skylarks from early spring to late summer over heath, moorland, coastal grassland and rough farmland. The key to identification is the sheer length and energy of the song: once it starts, it rarely pauses. If you hear a bird singing its heart out while seemingly pinned to the sky, it is a skylark. Meadow pipits also sing in flight, but their efforts are shorter, weaker and more disjointed — a series of seeps and trills rather than a seamless outpouring.

Meadow Pipit: The Upland Metronome

The meadow pipit is the most numerous upland bird in Britain, and its call is the background beat of the hills. The common contact call is a thin, insistent “seep seep”, often repeated as the bird flushes from grass or heather. It also gives a sharp “pip-it” in flight. The song is a familiar parachuting display: the bird rises, then flutters down with a series of accelerating “seep” notes followed by a brief, jangling trill. This is sometimes called the “mipit” song, and it is a sound you will hear on almost any moorland walk from March to September. To separate it from the skylark, remember that the meadow pipit’s song is shorter, less melodic and often delivered during a dipping flight. If you hear a small bird going “seep” and then a hurried, tumbling finish as it drops into the heather, you have found a meadow pipit.

Other Voices on the Hill

Once you know the big three, you can start adding other upland calls to your repertoire. These are worth learning because they often reveal birds that are hard to see.

• Golden plover: a plaintive, single “pee-oo” or “tu-ee”, often repeated. It sounds melancholy and far-carrying, typical of high moors and blanket bog.
• Red grouse: a sharp “go-back go-back” or “chuck chuck”, often followed by a whirring wing beat. The call is unmistakable once heard.
• Snipe: a strange, bleating “drumming” in display flight, plus a harsh “scaip scaip” when flushed from wet ground.
• Wheatear: a clicking “chack chack” and a short, scratchy song. Look for it on stony slopes and scree.
• Ring ouzel: a repeated “tuc tuc” alarm, and a song like a blackbird’s but wilder, echoing across crags and gullies.

Practical Tips for Learning Calls

Building your ear takes time, but a few habits will speed things up. Try these on your next hill day:

• Go early. Birds sing most in the first hour after dawn, and the wind is often lighter.
• Learn one species at a time. Spend a whole walk focusing on curlew, then skylark, then meadow pipit.
• Use mnemonics. “Cur-lee” for curlew, “go-back” for grouse, “seep seep” for meadow pipit. Say them out loud.
• Listen for rhythm and repetition, not just pitch. A skylark’s song is a stream; a meadow pipit’s is a series of bursts.
• Note the habitat and season. Curlews and skylarks are summer visitors; meadow pipits are present year-round.
• Make your own recordings on a phone or a small recorder, then play them back at home. Compare with field guide audio when you can.

Patience is the main ingredient. The more you walk and listen, the more the uplands will reveal themselves through sound. Even on a day when mist hides every ridge, a curlew’s whistle or a skylark’s song will tell you exactly where you are.