Eastern Curlew (Numenius phaepus)

These birds fly to Australia along the east asian flyway from Siberia and China. The female is the largest wader in the world by body size and bill length. I'm always amazed when I see these birds begin to arrive before christmas. Its a heck of a journey! Unfortunately numbers have been decreasing due to habitat loss along the Chinese and Korean coastlines due to farming.
I made this shot from a portable hide set up some hours before the rising tide pushed the birds towards the shore. They are extremely timid and even from the hide I've had difficulties photographing these birds. I intended for a little wing movement with this photo and I think I achieved the right balance.

Nikon D200, Nikkor 800mm, 1/500s at f8 iso320
Location: Great Sandy Straits, Australia