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Birds > Charadriiformes > Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata

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Or my so far unfulfilled photographer’s dream. The pictures presented here were taken in Norway, quite by chance, and taking good photos of this largest representative of the group of waders in Poland, is my dream. Unfortunately, due to small population of the Eurasian curlew in Poland, this won’t be an easy thing to do. Various sources report that in Poland there are from 600-900 nesting pairs. The bird is huge indeed. Its weight can be up to 1.5 kg, with a wingspan of about one meter. Its natural habitat are vast meadows, on which it forages and where it can be seen from March till October. So far, I haven’t had any luck…
Last minute news – 10/2014
Several attempts this year to photograph the Eurasian Curlew were unsuccessful. Long hours of waiting resulted in photographing other species, but not curlews. And as it often happens, there's no plan in photographic expeditions, because as I say, it isn't a shop where you can go and get stuff from your shopping list. This time I unexpectedly managed to shoot pictures of curlews. I was sitting by a pond, photographing herons and bearder reedlings, when suddenly four eurasian curlews appeared at a considerable distance. For such moments it is worth trying, because the excitement and joy was great. Unfortunately, the birds, flew away as quickly as they appeared. But this has changed a lot as far as my photo gallery goes. Although the images are only documentary they replaced the old ones and introduce considerable variety. Let's hope is not the last addition to the gallery of this beautiful species, the largest of our waders ...
Last minute news 08/2015
That was quite a surprise when an Eurasian curlew suddenly sat down next to me while I was photographing Eurasian rock pipits. Amazing that the pictures were created in such a simple way, from such a short distance. That's how I took so far my best pictures of this bird. Slowly but steadily qualitative changes are taking place in the curlew gallery on my website. Unfortunately, my attempt to come closer to the bird ended up with failure.
Last-minute news - Thailand 01/2016
I have uploaded one documentary photo of Eurasian curlews, but such an observation must have a place in my gallery. I haven’t taken any good pictures of the Eurasian curlew yet as in Poland it is not so easy to do it. It is quite an adventure to see a few specimens during their migration. And here, on some reservoirs where salt was obtained from sea water a flock of several hundred of birds have landed. Of course they were very far, but I had to capture them and upload at least one photo of suuuuch a flock….
Last minute news-09/2022
Finally, a few random photos in the EuroasianCurlew gallery are supplemented by much more interesting photos, but not yet definitively forming a gallery of very good status. This time the time commitment was considerable, because such an opportunity could not be missed. And there it was, an invitation to the waterfront shelter, where the curlews appear. Halina thanks and regards ( link ). Several mornings, or rather nights, had to be spent trying to take pictures. I have to arrive at the shelter at least an hour before sunrise and wait. In almost complete darkness, a very good quality recording of a curlew's voice is produced. I can see only indistinct, dark silhouettes of birds at a distance of about ten to fifteen meters. In addition to the sounds, the birds are engaged in their morning toilet. They bathe, fluttering their wings. Once it was possible to observe seven individuals. If they do the same in an hour or two, amazing photos will be created, I thought to myself. Well, and that thought ended there. The curlews had a daily habit of flying away a few, several minutes before the official sunrise. A sunrise that was impossible to observe. It was always either fog or clouds. When the weather cleared the birds were gone.  On the third day they did not appear in front of the lens at all. For the first two days it was possible to observe a large flock of lapwings in the distance. On the third day there were no more lapwings. They probably gathered into a flock and flew away. I thought the curlews had done the same, but around 9 o'clock I heard several curlew voice sequences. However no, they are still here I have to wait. Unfortunately, it was possible to observe them only the next day, also before dawn, accompanied, to my misfortune, by fog. The resulting photos admittedly introduce some variety to the gallery, but it was not for such photos that I got up at 3 am. In the end, it must be said that it was worth it for these few days to rearrange the rhythm of the day. Not only the curlews gave themselves to be observed and photographed. A couple of mornings with curlews also resulted in changes in the gallery of Greylag Goose, Greenshanks, Spotted Redshank and Cranes. The curlew gallery is rebuilt and goes into the news.
Last minute news-09/2022
The fifth and sixth attempt to photograph curlews was so successful that the recently rebuilt gallery of this species, was fed with new photos and finally received the status of very good. The curlews did not change their habit of appearing slightly before sunrise, but this time there was no fog or heavy cloud cover. This was enough to take better photos.
Last minute news-10/2022
Our previous attempts to photograph Eurasian Curlews were always related to dawn, in the morning. And, since the scenario of the birds' behavior always repeated itself and it was difficult to get photos in good light, something has to change in our operation. I decided to sit in the shelter from noon to dusk. I wonder if Curlews frequent the reservoir during the day and feed on it. To find out you have to watch from the shelter and check. As I planned so I did. Already on the very approach to the shelter a pleasant surprise. Several charadiiformers  dabblers took flight at the sight of me. As it turned out a very short one, because they made a small circle and sat between me and the shelter few dozen meters away. The first pictures were taken just like over our sea during the autumn bird migration. This lasted a minute or two, because it is necessary to enter the shelter, because it is for the Curlews that I came here. For a few hours of waiting in the shelter, almost only the diarrheas appeared in front of the lens: the variable, the curlew and the sandpiper. During those few hours of waiting, I had a whole range of light and weather variability. From steel-contrast sunshine to a rainy downpour to, at the end of the day, a beautiful soft yellow light. In this light, the Gray heron, one of my favorite species, joined the ranks of photographed birds. Interesting photos of all these mentioned species are produced, so this text is common to all the mentioned species. Well, at a rather unusual time, a lot of interesting photos were created, introducing enough changes in the galleries to hit all the photographed species to the news on my website. For the first time in my life I photographed charadriiformes from shelter. They were almost all the time with me. Around 6:30 pm, the light was low enough that I decided to stop photographing at this point. After packing up for a while, I leave the chat room walking in the shallows towards to the car. Suddenly I hear a familiar voice, which for several days has always announced the arrival of Curlews. Birds always landed with making their characteristic sound. I turned around and they are!  All seven of the Curlews, by now birds that had been observed for probably over a month. They landed on an island far away from me. A commemorative documentary photo emerged, which I added, for the time being, to the end of the  Curlew gallery. The birds stay there exclusively from dusk to dawn.

Tajlandia - wykaz j.ANGIELSKI

Thailand-introductory text - Spoon-billed Sandpiper
Birds
-new galleries  ( T -text in the information in the gallery, V- voice recording, species names are links to the gallery )
1. Spoon-billed Sandpiper (T). 2.Flavescent Bulbul. 3.Chinese Pond-Heron. (T) 4. Rusty-naped Pitta.(T) 5.White-browed Scimitar-Babbler. 6.Orange-flanked Bush-Robin.(T) 7.Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler. 8.Siberian Rubythroat.(T) 9.Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush.(G) 10.White-rumped Shama. 11.Hume's Pheasant .(T) 12.Sooty-headed Bulbul. 13.Red-necked Stint. 14.Red-wattled Lapwing.(T) 15.Black-breasted Thrush. 16.Dark-sided Thrush. 17.White-bellied Redstart. 18.Hill Blue-Flycatcher. 19.Siberian Stonechat. 20.Grey Bushchat. 21.Asian Openbill.(T) 22.Little Cormorant. 23.Velvet-fronted Nuthatch.(T) 24.Streaked Wren-Babbler. 25.White-throated Kingfisher. 26.Ultramarine Flycatcher. 27.Slaty-blue Flycatcher. 28.Large Niltava. 29.Silver-eared Mesia. 30.White-capped Water-Redstart. 31.Plumbeous Water-Redstart. 32.White-tailed Robin. 33.Black-throated Prinia. 34.Brown Prinia. 35.Rufous-throated Partridge.(T) 36.Lesser Sand-Plover.(T) 37.Kentish Plover.(T) 38.Greater Sand Plover.(T) 39.White-browed Laughingthrush. 40.Mountain Bulbul. 41.Oriental White-eye. 42.Spotted Dove. 43.Paddyfield pipit. 44.Olive-backed Pipit. 45.Yellow Bittern. 46.Black-capped Bulbul. 47.Great Knot. 48. Japanese Tit. 49.Marsh Sandpiper. 50.Long-tailed Shrike. 51.Pheasant-tailed Jacana.(T) 52. Blue Whistling-Thrush.(V) 53.Banded Bay Cuckoo. 54.Gould's Sunbird.(T) 55. Emerald Dove. 56.Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher. 57.Chestnut-bellied Rock-Thrush. 58.Spot-breasted Parrotbill. 59.Blue-winged Minla. 60.Brown-cheeked Fulvetta. 61.Asian Pied Starling. 62.Yellow-browed Warbler. 63.Little Green Bee-eater.(T) 64.Streak-eared Bulbul. 65.Long-toed Stint. 66.Purple Heron.(T) 67.Grey-sided Thrush. 68.Bronze-winged Jacana.(T) 69.Zebra Dove. 70.Ashy Wood-Pigeon. 71.Giant Nuthatch.(T) 72.Indian Roller. 73.Golden-bellied Gerygone. 74.White-vented Myna. 75.Snowy-browed Flycatcher 76.Spectacled Barwing. 77.Chestnut-tailed Minla. 78.Grey-breasted Prinia. 79.Flame Minivet. 80.Rosy Minivet. 81.Grey-chinned Minivet. 82.Pacific Golden-Plover. 83.Siberian Blue Robin. 84.White-crested Laughingthrush. 85.Oriental Magpie-Robin. 86.Japanese White-eye. 87.Red Collared-Dove. 88.Buff-browed Warbler.(T) 89.Pale-legged Leaf-Warbler.(T) 90.Black-browed Reed Warbler. 91.Blyth's Leaf-warbler.(T) 92.Pallas's leaf-Warbler.(T) 93.Malaysian Pied Fantail. 94.Eyebrowed Thrush. 95.Brown Shrike. 96.Grey-backed Shrike. 97.Pied Shrike-babbler. 98.Chestnut-fronted Shrike-Babbler. 99.Black Drongo. 100.Ashy Drongo. 101.Bronzed Drongo. 102.Black-winged Cuckooshrike. 103.Brahminy Kite. 104.Black-winged Kite.(T) 105.Pied Bushchat. 106. Grey-headed flycatcher. 107.Common Tailorbird. 108.Asian Emerald Cuckoo. 109.Plaintive Cuckoo. 110.Black-capped Kingfisher. 111.White-gorgeted Flycatcher. 112. Rufous-bellied Niltava. 113.Little Spiderhunter. 114.Racket-tailed Treepie. 115.Black-collared Starling. 116.Arctic Warbler. 117.Golden-fronted Leafbird. 118.Orange-bellied Leafbird. 119.Stripe-breasted Woodpecker. 120.Grey-capped Woodpecker. 121.Lesser Whistling-Duck. 122.Chestnut-vented Nuthatch. 123.Mountain Tailorbird. 124.Greater Spotted Eagle.(T) 125.Ashy Woodswallow. 126.Blue-throated Barbet.(T) 127.Lineated Barbet.(T) 128.Coppersmith Barbet.(T) 129.Dark-backed Sibia. 130.Pallas's Grasshopper-Warbler.(T) 131.Pink-necked Green-Pigeon. 132.Oriental Reed-Warbler. 133.White-crowned Forktail. 134.Baya Weaver. 135.Maroon Oriole. 136.Black-hooded Oriole. 137.Jungle Crow. 138.Blue-tailed Bee-eater.(T)
Changes in birds galleries: 1. Curlew Sandpiper. 2.Red-whiskered Bulbul. 3.Spotted Redshank. 4.Intermediate Egret. 5.Little Egret. 6.Red-rumped Swallow. 7.Black Kite. 8.Eurasian Curlew.(T) 9.Common Myna. 10.Scaly-breasted munia 11.Blue rock -thrush. 12.Steppe Eagle.(T) 13.Black-tailed Godwit.14.Black-winged Stilt.
Reptiles-new gallery : Water Monitor.(T)
Mammals-new galleries : 1.Dusky Leaf Monkey. 2.Rhesus Macaque. 3.Siberian Chipmunk.
Go to the gallery : THAILAND - FAUNA

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