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Re: Curlew Sandpiper(s) at the beach



Birders,

Simon Thompson rightly answered my recent question about the name "curlew",
saying it referred to shorebirds with a downcurving bill. However, my memory
was
somewhat justified, as the Oxford English Dictionary
states that the origin of the word "curlew" is thought by
most to derive from the Old French, meaning the sound made by the bird. So
Simon and others are correct as to as the modern meaning, but the origin may
have been another of those ancient bird names deriving from the sound. I
love those old words.

Yours for knowledge,
Steve Compton
<scompton@sc.rr.com>
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michal Skakuj" <mskakuj@nc.rr.com>
To: "CarolinaBirds" <carolinabirds@duke.edu>
Sent: Monday, October 06, 2003 5:47 PM
Subject: Re: Curlew Sandpiper(s) at the beach


> Very good points Nathan.
> I would add just to clarify situation:
> to ID any shorebirds the plumage (including moulting stage) should be
> describe first. If there are doubts about plumage (basic, moulting to
> 1st winter or moulting to adult winter) it is almost impossible to make
> a positive ID for most of the shorebirds.
> Indeed feeding Curlew Sand. has more "giraffe" silhouette or, which is
> much better for me in US, reminds feeding Stilt Sandp.
> As far as juvenile coloration, it varies a lot and some birds (mostly
> males) are darker than others (bigger females) in addition the
> characteristic scaly pattern could be very much faded in the late Fall,
> thus birds may look more evenly grayish colored (but still not so light
> and "cold" gray as adults in winter plumage).
> The is one more in the given description which does not fit well for
> Curlew (in my opinion), this kind of mottling on sides of the breast.
> That is just like Dunlin.
> As far as bill shape, in many small billed (males) in. it looks very
> pointed and surprisingly slightly curved, whereas in long-billed females
> is just like in the species name. However it is rather curved in the 2/3
> distal part not in the middle (but it depend on observer).
> There is one more feature on which nobody pay attention, however you can
> see it on many illustrations. The Curlew is a very long distance migrant
> and has very long wings with primaries usually extended well beyond the
> tail (and rathere short tertials), comparing to "short-winged" Dunlin.
> Even Sibley painted it that way but the best illustrations could be
> found in Birds of Europe by Mullarney et al..
>
> Mike
>
>
> Nathan Dias wrote:
>
> >When I first saw Sharon's post, I thought a new
> >diked-in dredge spoil disposal impoundment had been
> >built at Huntington Beach.  Had I known that we would
> >be looking for Curlew Sandpiper on a shoreline of
> >beach sand and shells piled up a few hundred yards
> >from the open ocean, I wouldn't have made the trip.  I
> >could see maybe a storm-blown refugee or super-tired
> >migrant briefly falling onto a sandbar beside the
> >beach, but the concept of repeated visits by one/two
> >Curlew Sandpiper(s) to the area at the base of the
> >Huntington Beach Jetty seems fantastic.
> >
> >The famous bird at the Yawkey center in 1992 was where
> >one would expect a Curlew Sandpiper in SC - in a
> >semi-drained freshwater waterfowl impoundment.
> >
> >Regarding the description:
> >
> >The prominent white supercilium should have been
> >clearly visible, no ifs ands or buts.
> >
> >"...decurved bill especially about mid length when it
> >appeared to have a sharper bend (at times looking as
> >if it were kinked)"
> >
> >The literature descibes Curlew Sandpipers as having
> >"more evenly decurved" bills than Dunlin (Hayman,
> >Marchant & Prater p. 380 and 381).
> >
> >Question: are you saying it was a juvenile bird or an
> >adult?  Adults are way into nonbreeding plumage now
> >and Juveniles retain their plumage though November.
> >So there shouldn't be any crossover issues of Juvenile
> >going into adult plumage or molting adults.
> >
> >Juvenile Curlew Sandpipers don't have "gray back and
> >scapulars" - that sounds like a nonbreeding adult.
> >Juveniles have dark brownish mantle, scapulars and
> >tertials (see H.M.P. p. 382) and the dark brown/red
> >cap is very visible and contrasts heavily with the
> >whitish supercilium.
> >
> >But "whitish underparts showing a mellow cinammon
> >cast" sounds like the buff wash on the breast of a
> >juvenile, not the distinctive rufous neck, breast and
> >belly of an adult, which would be long gone by now.
> >White throat implies juvenile, though the buff wash on
> >the breast often colors the foreneck of a juvenile.
> >
> >In flight, did you see if the tips of the toes
> >extending past the tip of the tail?
> >
> >How long and how well did y'all see the bird?
> >
> >If I were on the SCBRC, given the location/habitat
> >type, date and the contradictory details given,  I
> >would want to examine a photo to accept this one.
> >
> >Nathan Dias - Charleston, SC
> >
> >--- Jack <ppaw@sccoast.net> wrote:
> >
> >
> >>Hi Carolinabirders,
> >>First an apology for not reporting more promptly.  I
> >>had just returned
> >>from NJ late Wednesday visiting family and taking my
> >>wife to medical
> >>labs .  In that interval I unsubscribed to the list
> >>and did not
> >>resubscribe until yesterday.  Bob Maxwell and I
> >>found a Curlew
> >>Sandpiper.  Friday evening, I called Sharon Turner
> >>to post it and
> >>presume that she did so (I was still unsubscribed at
> >>the time) I saw
> >>that Robin Carter and Caroline Eastman found not one
> >>but two there
> >>yesterday, the 4th. I will write up the bird for the
> >>SCBRC this week
> >>from my notes. I will try to refind the bird Monday,
> >>and try to video
> >>it.
> >>59 species from the carriage path, mullet pond,
> >>causeway marsh, ocean
> >>beach and second pond and tidal mudflat just south
> >>of the renourished
> >>area at the base of the jetty.
> >>This latter area is where the Curlew Sandpiper was
> >>found.
> >>
> >>Brown Pelican-20
> >>Double-Crested Cormorant-20
> >>Great Blue Heron-4
> >>Great Egret-5
> >>Snowy Egret-7
> >>Tricolored Heron-4
> >>REDDISH EGRET-1 in the second pond at the jetty area
> >>Black-crowned Night-Heron-3 two adults + one
> >>immature hanging in the
> >>trees at the northwest corner of Mullet Pond
> >>White Ibis-20
> >>Wood Stork-25
> >>Blue-winged Teal-8
> >>Red-breasted Merganser-1
> >>Turkey Vulture-1
> >>Osprey-5
> >>Am. Kestrel-1
> >>Clapper Rail-2 heard only
> >>Black-bellied Plover-5
> >>Semipalmated Plover-15
> >>Piping Plover-1 silver band just above right foot
> >>Greater Yellowlegs-3
> >>Lesser Yellowlegs-4
> >>Willet-3
> >>Ruddy Turnstone-5
> >>Red Knot-4
> >>Sanderling-15
> >>Western Sandpiper-10
> >>Dunlin-12 if looking for the Curlew be careful there
> >>were several long
> >>billed Dunlin in the same area
> >>CURLEW SANDPIPER-1 very long strongly decurved bill
> >>especially about mid
> >>length when it appeared to have a sharper bend (at
> >>times looking as if
> >>it were kinked) long blackish legs more upright
> >>stature than Dunlin,
> >>white throat and chin whitish underparts showing a
> >>mellow cinammon cast,
> >>mottled gray brown area near the shoulder, gray back
> >>and scapulars many
> >>with white tipped edges, Bob Maxwell saw the white
> >>rump when it flew.
> >>The one non conforming feature of this individual
> >>was that the face was
> >>quite plain with no white supercilium.
> >>Short-billed Dowitcher-3
> >>Belted Kingfisher-2
> >>Red-bellied Woodpecker-1
> >>Downy Woodpecker-2
> >>Tree Swallow-abundant
> >>Blue Jay-8
> >>Crow sp-3
> >>Carolina Chickadee-3
> >>Tufted Titmouse-1 heard only
> >>Carolina Wren-3 heard only
> >>Veery-1
> >>Gray Catbird-2
> >>N. Mockingbird-3
> >>Brown Thrasher-1 heard only
> >>N. Parula-1
> >>Am. Redstart-3
> >>Hooded Warbler-1 male
> >>N. Cardinal-3
> >>Savannah Sparrow-5
> >>Boat-tailed Grackle-3
> >>House Finch-2
> >>
> >>Jack Peachey
> >>Conway, SC
> >>
> >>
> >>
>
> --
> ************************************************
> Michal Skakuj  Ph.D.
> 2420 Perkins Rd.
> Durham, NC 27705
> phone:        919 402 9961
> mobile phone: 919 599 3040
>
>