Curlew or Whimbrel? Norfolk (1 Viewer)

[UKBirder23]

Hello all, last week I was on the Norfolk Broads, and got some photos of what are either curlews or whimbrels on Breydon Marshes. There are Oystercatchers in some photos to give you an idea of size. Also, a few days later on Breydon Water, I saw another flock, but two of them were a bit smaller (no photos of them, sadly). If the birds in the attached photos are Curlews, could the smaller ones have been Whimbrels, or just juvenile Curlews? Also, two photos of what I think is a juv Starling? Thank you.

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

At first, I wanted to agree with a juvenile Starling, but something seemed wrong. And then I had a hard time to exclude a Black Redstart, but

• the white chin is real
• a good shape of short-tailed body and long, spiky bill, not a fluffed up Black Redstart
• legs are to short (whishfull thinking) and to stout for a Black Redstart
• orange rump must be an artefact, colour is also visible in the wing, and not the tail

So I agree with Starling

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Did you notice the Egyptian Goose in your picture, I assume a quite scarce bird in the UK?

 

[UKBirder23]

Did you notice the Egyptian Goose in your picture, I assume a quite scarce bird in the UK?

Thanks for IDing the Starling, Alexander. Actually though, Egyptian Geese are pretty common in certain parts of the UK - where I live on the Thames River, we have a lot of them, including several nesting pairs; and apparently there is a large population in Norfolk.

 

[THE_FERN]

Did you notice the Egyptian Goose in your picture, I assume a quite scarce bird in the UK?

Super-common in the SE, at least.

 

[PYRTLE]

They are Curlew in these images......head pattern.

 

[PYRTLE]

Curlews have some size diffentials. I recall travelling to Suffolk to see what transpired to be a small Eurasion Curlew rather than the much hoped for rarer species.

 

[UKBirder23]

They are Curlew in these images......head pattern.

Thank you! I was pretty sure they were Curlews. Are they more commonly seen than Whimbrels?

 

[PYRTLE]

Mmmm, Whimbrels generally will be further North at this time of year, their main Autumn passage not for a few weeks yey . Not sure but these could be failed breeders.