Here is some info from the birds in russia bird group.
Valery
What do you know about the authenticity of the 27
Slender-billed Curlews recorded in the Lebyazhy
Islands, Ukraine, in autumn 2001. Are they reliable
sightings? Can I quote them or are the reports
unsubstantiated?
Very best wishes
LEE G R EVANS
UK400 Club, Rare Birds Magazine & Ornithological
Consultancy
Dear Lee and all,
The records from the Crimea are definitely
interesting. I don't know whether they have been
accepted by (or even submitted to) the Ukrainian
records committee. At any rate, they come from an area
which has received special attention for some time
because of regular occurrence of Slender-billed
Curlews. Birdlife's Slender-billed Curlew Database
probably contains the most complete picture, but it is
instructive to glance at the data (from the
Database) in Birdlife's 'European Bird Populations.
Estimates and trends', published in 2000. For the
period 1990-1999 alone the following records
(again, not clear to what extent they have been
authenticated) per country are listed:
Greece: 15 records, 35 birds
Italy: 6 records, 25 birds
Ukraine: 12 records, 18 birds
Hungary: 7 records, 15 birds
Bulgaria: 5 records, 5-7 birds
Albania: 1 record, 1 bird
France: ibidem
Romania: ibidem
Russia: ibidem
Turkey: ibidem
Dimitar Nankinov has regularly written about
Slender-billed Curlews in
Bulgaria (especially Atanasov Lake). Some of his
(sometimes maybe overly optimistic) accounts,
published in the Ukrainian journal Berkut, can be read
at:
http://www.geocities.com/berkut_ua/selected/curlew.htm(in
English)
http://www.geocities.com/berkut_ua/SUM/numenius.htm
(in German)
Maybe some Bulgarian or Ukrainian colleagues on this
list could provide us with more recent information.
All the best,
Geert Groot Koerkamp
From: "Valery N. Moseykin" <
[email protected]>
Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 09:23:22 +0400
Subject: Re: [BirdsinRussia] Fwd: [MEBirdNet]
Slender-billed Curlew Website Ukraine
I participated in the Russian program of search
Slender-billed Curlew. I agree with opinion prof.
Tomkovich, Dr. Morozov and Dr. Koblik that is
necessary with the big care correctly Slender-billed
Curlew to identify. Even the skilled ornithologist can
confuse in a field Slender-billed Curlew
c some individuals N.arquata orientalis (light, have
white wing linings and sometimes - a spotted on one
side) and N.p.alboaxillaris (light and some
individuals have no strips (bar) on a head).
May be Slender-billed Curlew does not exist as
species, but only a hybrid - steppe subspecies
N.a.orientalis + N.p.alboaxillaris???
In 2001 in steppe an oasis of the kazakhstan desert we
have found mixed Curlew nesting a colony
(N.a.orientalis and N.p.alboaxillaris). Some
individuals were actually indistinguishable (in field
conditionsfrom) from Slender-billed Curlew.
I remind, that old russian ornithologist Zarudny
described a find nesting pair N.arquata + N.
tenuirostris (!!!).
Russian collector Ushakov was unique who nests
Slender-billed Curlew found. Also Uchakov which took
away eggs and shot Slender-billed Curlew, writes
that in found nest not was bird. Ushakov has extracted
Slender-billed Curlew when this bird worried nearby
from nest. However beside flied N.arquata (!) also.
Best regards,
Valery Moseykin (Russia)