Sounds of... Uplands

These are the places which reverberate with the croaky call of Ravens, the haunting cry of Curlews and the amused chuckle of Red Grouse.

Of course, many of our more common birds also live on heathlands, and you can hear their songs in the Sounds Of… Parks and Gardens and Sounds of Parks and Gardens - Tits and Finches. 

The male Stonechat looks like a Robin in a balaclava, with a bright orange chest offset by a black head and a white collar. The female is browner, with a more subtle orange breast. 

The Meadow Pipit may be the most common songbird in heathland areas, but it doesn’t like you to think so. Its brown coat and streaked underbelly make it hard to spot as it creeps along in the undergrowth. Very similar to the rarer Tree Pipit.  

The Raven is a massive black crow that is bigger than a buzzard. They have a big black beak and fancy throat feathers called hackles, which can look like a feathery beard when displayed. More often found in the west of the UK, although they’re increasing their range eastwards.

The Whinchat looks like the Stonechat’s summer sidekick, slimmer in size and with paler plumage. The most obvious difference to the Stonechat is the white stripe above the Whinchat’s eye, which can be seen on the male and the even paler female.

The Curlew is Europe’s largest wading bird, which in summer heads to our uplands to breed. Imagine a female Pheasant, but with long blue legs and a brilliant long beak which curves downwards.

The Snipe is another wader that heads to the hills to breed. Smaller than a Curlew, with much shorter yellow legs and a straight long beak.

The Lapwing looks like a futuristic bird drawn in the 80s: their crest a beeping antenna, their feathers a shimmering cape of purple and green. From a distance and in flight they look black and white. In spring, the male performs steep dives and tight-angled turns to impress the females.

The Red Grouse is a medium-sized game bird that lives life in the heather. Its rusty red plumage keeps it well hidden until you get too close, when it will break cover and make you jump a mile. If you do see one, take a moment to admire their bright red eyebrows.

The male Wheatear in particular is a striking bird, with a pale orange chest and black and white eye stripes, a bit like a feathery bandit. The female is browner and decided the bandit mask wasn’t for her. Both have a prominent white behind, which they proudly show off in flight.

The Grasshopper Warbler is a small brown bird that makes an epic journey from Africa to be here every summer. It moves like a mouse through cover and would remain pretty anonymous if it wasn’t for their song…

We don’t know if the Ring Ouzel is religious or just likes dressing up as a vicar. The male makes a point of going for an all-black outfit with a bright white collar. The female is browner, but many still opt for the white neck ring from which they get their name.

The male Black Grouse is a big buff bird dressed in black. They have an impressive red eyebrow and white undertail, which they fan when strutting their stuff on the dancefloor, or lek as it is known. The females are smaller and brown to help them remain hidden on their nests. Best seen in the uplands of Wales, the Pennines and across Scotland.  

The Merlin may be our smallest falcon, but they can move, dashing and darting over open moors to catch unassuming birds. They have short broad wings and a shorter tail than a Kestrel. Males are mainly grey, with the larger female brown.

The male Hen Harrier is the silver-grey skydancer, his wing tips dipped in black. This rare bird performs his acrobatics to impress females in early spring. The female is larger and brown, with rings around her tail. Despite the name, they mainly eat Meadow Pipits and voles.