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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Crab eating Curlew takes the biscuit! (1 Viewer)

P

peter hayes

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I was scoping a lovely Curlew this afternoon from the viewing platform just off Bowling Green Lane, Topsham, near Exeter. It commands a superb view of the River Exe. The tally in this section of the day alone, went as follows:

300 Curlew
100 Oyster Catcher
75 Shelduck
50 Black-tailed Godwit
2 Little Egret

Back to my particular Curlew. Just as I had a monumental close up through my Swaros and was admiring the Curlew's fine colours and patterning, it caught a sizeable crab. Making no attempt to eat the crab, it juggled with it in its mouth until its bill was holding it by its legs. It then shook the crab off until a couple of legs broke off and the crab fell into the water. The Curlew repeated this process five times, each time dipping its curved bill back into the water to pick up the crab, which of course had fewer and fewer legs as the process unfolded. Finally, a legless crab was tossed into the water. This time the Curlew picked up its prey and swallowed it whole. Result! It was astonishing to watch this cruel and very private session of afternoon tea.

Peter

Postscript: on the way to the platform I saw Izzy the Glossy Ibis all on his own in a field with no one paying any attention to him whatsoever. When I think of that marvellous day last year when he arrived, with twitchers coming down to Devon from all over the country to see his marvellous green sheen in the late afternoon sun, the contrast could not have been greater. Now, Izzy is a confirmed long stayer and becoming almost house trained. People don't seem to bother him at all, and I got within five feet of him. For me though, he will always be magic.
 
Izzy is bringing some money into Topsham and the M% corridor and no one is grateful for it, ignorance is not bliss. I'd rather it stayed that way cos if it became well known there would be dudes all over the place!

The DBWPS newsletter said in Dixons in Union Street of Torquay a Water Rail walked straight into the shop!!! It was caught, bemused, and taken into care by the local RSPCA!
 
Some moments of nature / bird watching are absolutely unique aren't they, and all down to the luck of looking in the right place at the right time. This definitely sounds like one of them.
Don't know why but I seem to get more examples of looking in the wrong place at the right time.
 
You're absolutely right Karl. Some moments are just precious. You just know it's a special moment, and the sort of thing you are never likely to encounter again. It is all luck, of course, although I suppose you can help yourself by maximising the opportunities to see something by going out as much as possible. Today though was an absolute privilege. Nature has so many secrets, and we are allowed to share so few!
 
Sorry, assumed you were a member. It is the Devon Bird Watching & Preservation Society. Only £10 a year and lots of brilliant information including the Devon bird report!
 
Thanks for that Andrew..........I'd be interested to learn more. Other than the report, what sort of info do you get and how do they send it to you - is it a regular newsletter?
 
The Devon Bird Report is a real masterpiece and is delivered every year about a year after the records are collated for the corresponding year. The 2001 report just came out. It helps you locate specific birds, for example look up Little Ringed Plover and you can see the popular sites and times of the year. It also has reports, surveys, etc... It would cost £6 alone but is free to members. There is a bi-monthly newsletter showing latest news and stuff happening in Devon birdwise plus details of meets and walks. At the end is an overview of bird sightings and it is good to see your birds in there. By the way, my Bonaparte's Gull at Shoebrooke has been unofficially recognised in this report along with about six birds. There is also a quarterly Devon Birds magazine (very small). The tiny fee covers all this and supports reserves too although you are allowed in many of them anyway, it is best to support the people who run them. Think about it if you went to Alton Towers it would cost you more than this for only one day! You also get special access to a few reserves namely the small enclosure at Prawle. I have not been to any meetings at all, I just support them and send all my bird sightings to the recorder. All the people I have been in touch with have been very nice and helpful. I can PM you the membership secretary's email addy.
 
Andrew

Thanks very much indeed for that detailed reply. I would very much appreciate the details of the secretary as I now feel it is incumbent on me to join!
 
Alastair/Peter,
Yes, I was expecting something different and was expecting it even when I was close to the end of this piece. Almost at the last sentence (This time the Curlew picked up its prey......) and I was thinking of how the crab was going to triumph. Maybe the now, legless crab (beyond the stage of being on his last legs...lol) had grabbed the Curlew piercing a vital blood vessel and finally brought about the demise of the bird even though itself was too far gone to recover. Maybe I have been watching too many films.


Eddie
 
Okay okay. Maybe the headline was a little bit skewed! I agree with Alastair and Eddie, to find a crab capable of eating a Curlew - now that would have been news!

The thing that struck me was the constancy of the demeanour of the Curlew. Absolutely no emotion whatsoever, needless to say. I was witnessing an efficient killing machine. As the Mafia used to say: it's not personal, just business!
 
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