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Curlews and Dylan Thomas



Seeing this last post on the name "Curlew' and its possible derivation from
its call note reminds me of a poem by Dylan Thomas which certainly supports
the theory that the word 'curlew' describes the call--at least in the
imagination of some poets. The poem is 'The White Giant's Thigh" and in it
Dylan Thomas muses on the creative/destructive energies of the rising tide
at a Welsh Estuary. The poem begins thus:

"Through throats where many rivers meet, the curlews cry--
Under the Conceiving moon, on the high chalk hill;
And there this night I stand in the White Giant's Thigh..."

The White giant, as I understand, is the white chalk cliff against which the
rising tide and the liquid notes of the curlews reverberate. The punctuation
is off since I typed the lines from memory, but I think you might agree that
'through throats where many rivers meet" is an apt description of the
curlew's remote, liquid and thrilling calls.

Shantanu Phukan







On 10/12/03 10:53 PM, "Steve Compton" <scompton@sc.rr.com> wrote:

> 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
>> 
>> 
> 
> 
>