[marek_walford]

Surprised nobody has posted on this yet but there are photos on Surfbirds.com (http://www.surfbirds.com/cgi-bin/gal...llery=gallery9) of a Curlew sp. at Minsmere yesterday.

Looks interesting. Can't comment any more as I really know very little about Curlews other than the bog standard British one but it doesn't look like one of those!

[Brian Stone]

Not sure if LGRE is on BF but I am sure he won't mind being quoted thus:

--- In UK400Club@yahoogroups.com, LGREUK400@a... wrote:
"Brian Small has placed on Surfbirds a couple of images of a curlew species photographed at Minsmere RSPB reserve today. To my eye, they represent the same type of bird that was recorded in Northumberland not so long ago and accepted by ALL authorities as a SLENDER-BILLED CURLEW!

LEE G R EVANS"

[Jasonbirder]

Don`t let Michael see that

[Edward woodwood]

er..very interesting

can't see enough in those pix on my laptop here at school but it is certainly very interesting indeed....

it does look very like the Druridge Bay bird....could almost be from the same series of pix.....

[Andrew]

That's a thing, something even rarer. Whatever happened to Michael?

[CJW]

Originally Posted by Tim Allwood

it does look very like the Druridge Bay bird....

Agreed.
Eurasian Curlew it is then.

[Edward woodwood]

you may say that

I couldn't possibly comment Chris!

[Docmartin]

Oh my giddy aunt! At low resolution it looks excellent. Is it still there?

[Bluetail]

I was looking at these pics just before I logged on here and my first thought was... well... it's a good job my boss is out of earshot!

[Edward woodwood]

are the pagers saying owt?

[Bluetail]

RBA have just broadcast this:

Suffolk curlew sp (probably Eurasian Curlew) Minsmere RSPB on the levels opp windpump 12.15 pm at least (2nd day): bird shows some characteristics possibly suggestive of Slender-billed Curlew

[CJW]

Being the cynic that I am, I just can't make this bird a Slender-billed. It's certainly nothing like the 3x Slender-bills I saw in Morrocco back in the 80s.
Having just got back from 'grilling' a flock of 100+ Curlew, there was such a variety of sizes, bill lengths and plumages any number of them could be described as 'odd-looking'. How many people actually look at Curlews?

[Edward woodwood]

just had a look and i tend to agree on these views Chris

don't remember SBC in Tunisia Chris, d'ya mean Merja Zerga in Morocco?

[Bluetail]

Not much these days, I'll admit, but when I worked the Plym Estuary I used to - there's not usually a lot else to see there (apart from gulls, of course!) I've never seen one with spots like that on the flanks, or with quite so small a bill. Not saying it couldn't happen, of course - I'm no expert.

[marek_walford]

Originally Posted by CJW

How many people actually look at Curlews?

Sadly, I do. I live in Berkshire. Very little ornithological excitement to be had. Curlews are quite exciting!

[Ingo]

Does anybody know how many SBC are still seen, say how many confirmed records in 2003/2004?

[Jane Turner]

See the Curlew Sand on the same page of Surfbirds.. what is going on with waders!

[Edward woodwood]

just did a quick search and only came up with this image of SBC as the search engines ban use of image search in school - for obvious reasons!!!!

perhaps somene could google a few more for comparisons....

[DJ Sideboard]

Originally Posted by Tim Allwood

just did a quick search and only came up with this image of SBC as the search engines ban use of image search in school - for obvious reasons!!!!

perhaps somene could google a few more for comparisons....

Heres a link to a page with a photo of the northumbs bird http://www.birdguides.com/birdnews/article.asp?a=35.

The Minsmere bird doesn't look as spotty as photos of s-b. But who knows how much they vary......

[Jane Turner]

I have to say the Druiridge bird looked like a SBC and the Minsmere bird looks like a runt curlew...

[ground-roller]

Originally Posted by Bluetail

RBA have just broadcast this:

Suffolk curlew sp (probably Eurasian Curlew) Minsmere RSPB on the levels opp windpump 12.15 pm at least (2nd day): bird shows some characteristics possibly suggestive of Slender-billed Curlew

RBA don't have the greatest track record in this area......
looks interesting certainly. If anyone is going from Norwich today/tomorow and could offer me a lift feel free to PM me!

[Reader]

I am one of the fortunate birders to actually have seen one of these birds. I am at work at the moment so I need to get home tonight to be able to look up my notes on the bird I saw. I must admit that this current surfbirds photo is rocking my boat a bit but really these photos probably won't confirm anything more than a possible abberant european Curlew. I hope I am wrong.

I have included a few links to photos of these birds including some old photos of the Northumberland bird on Surfbirds. From those Northumberland photos you would have been fairly hard pressed to have expressed a firm ID either way in IMHO.

http://www.surfbirds.com/mb/Features...ed-curlew.html
http://www.hmag.org.uk/site/viewDeta...illed%20Curlew
http://www.birdlife.net/datazone/sea...p&sid=3011&m=1

[CJW]

Originally Posted by Tim Allwood

don't remember SBC in Tunisia Chris, d'ya mean Merja Zerga in Morocco?

DOHH! It's an age thing. Ofcourse, you're right Tim.

[Docmartin]

Originally Posted by CJW

DOHH! It's an age thing. Ofcourse, you're right Tim.

Without swotting, I can't remember what the deal is with SBC. But I'm guessing that it would have to be a juvenile (hooray!) in which case it would not have the spotty chevrons, or it would be an ad, in which case it should be spottier than those pics on surfbirds??

Take a look at the attached SBC, stuffed but in similar position to one of the surfbirds pics.

[Bluetail]

Looking again at the Surfbirds pics, I'm coming down on the side of Eurasian Curlew. For one thing, not sure whether that bill is quite fine enough at the tip and the Curlew in the background seems to show some similar spots. Wouldn't mind seeing it in the flesh though.