uk today (1 Viewer)

[capdegat]

Northumberland today
first is curlew sand ?
Second is scoter ?
thanks

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

The second is a female Eider.

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

I agree with Andrew: second is an Common Eider.
But what is with the first picture? Is it the only one?
First "jizz look": hey, there is a bird that looks good for a Curlew SP among the Dunlins. It looks just larger, longer-legged (making the bird SEEMINGLY reach higher out of the water compared to the Dunlins). Yes, I know, all this cant be really judged in a single picture, but this is my gut feeling here. More, it has a really prominent, clear-cut supercilium, appearantly long wings crossing above the tail like scissors and with much wishfull thinking I see an evenly curved bill, good for Curlew SP.

Conclusion? More pictures please. They will with a high degree of certainty proof this is indeed a Curlew SP. If this is the only picture, I am not so sure. Then I would ID it as a propable Curlew SP and would not note it in my bird-diary-book.

 

[lou salomon]

the wader looks like another dunlin, just with longer looking neck. legs are as short as the nearby dunlin.

 

[Nutcracker]

Ditto to Dunlin.

Worth adding that a Curlew Sand in Northumbs now would be by over two weeks the latest ever in the county.

 

[Deb Burhinus]

I agree with Lou - legs can look ‘longer’ when birds are standing in water because of reflection. It’s just preening bird and stretching it’s neck. The capped appearance is typical for wintering Dunlin in the UK - likely of the race alpina

Dunlin by David Bradshaw

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[Alexander Stöhr]

Then thanks to all, I must admit that I was quite sure this would morph into an idable Curlew SP when more pictures are available. All other Dunlins and the picture Deb linked, shows supercilium within variation to birds I have seen in autumn/winter in Germany. The discussed bird seems to have white (not pale whitish) eye-stripe with sharp, clear cut boarder and reaching far behind eye.
So time for me to look at more winter Dunlins next time and learn more about variation. Thanks again, so helpfull to me!

 

[Deb Burhinus]

All other Dunlins and the picture Deb linked, shows supercilium within variation to birds I have seen in autumn/winter in Germany. The discussed bird seems to have white (not pale whitish) eye-stripe with sharp, clear cut boarder and reaching far behind eye.
So time for me to look at more winter Dunlins next time and learn more about variation. Thanks again, so helpfull to me!

This is only because the quality of the image is such that intermediate colour gradation is lost in my opinion. Squint your eyes at the image in my link and it does give a similar capped appearance to the OP - also any bird seen from the angle of the bird in the OP (viewed from above) would enhance any impression of a cap looking apparently sharply defined because of eyebrow/head/face structure. The points you raise are the right guidebook criteria for CS and can be fitted but in this case, there is a deception! The image of the OP looks a little contrasty but if you look at the bird in the far bottom right, it has an equally white supercilium. The plumage otherwise looks identical to the others to me.

As has been said, Curlew Sands have all but gone in the North of UK this time of year - there’s still a handful around but in the far South West of England, so the date works against this being CS also.

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Thank you Deb !

 

[ClarkWGriswold]

I think 1 was reported in Pembrokeshire last week. A late record I would have guessed.

Rich

 

[ClarkWGriswold]

Just to add for non UK residents. Pembrokeshire is in South West Wales and quite a bit further South than Northumberland. Rich