Curlews

[John 2]

In a UK wide sense, these are seen as threatened but the moors above where I live are one of the few breeding areas for these birds. Very shy and quite difficult to catch but spotted from the car which they seemed to accept. These were photographed through the passenger side open window.

Fuji X plus 100-400 with a 1.4x converter.
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[Shadowman]

Nice captures.

[lesno1]

Very nice pictures have you heard the noise they make ?

[JohnRostron]

Very nice to see them on their breeding ground. We don't get to the moors in the summer much these days, but we often see (and hear) the Curlews on the coast.

John

[Barbara Ponder]

John, great capture of the curlew. We are fortunate that they visit us nearby often. It is fun to watch them as look for food with those long beaks.

[rpcrowe]

Good capture...

[Davejl]

Well captured.

[John 2]

Thanks all for the comments. Les, as john has mentioned, frustratingly, that's all you hear. Catching them on open ground is difficult. I was lucky to catch them in a field on this occasion.

[IzzieK]

I haven't seen this in real life yet...maybe one day...these are good shots.

[John 2]

You should Izzie. They are interesting birds. Thanks for the comment.

[bnnrcn]

Very nice shots John

[bje07]

Nice sharp shots.

[Dave A]

Wonderful images John. The shallow DOF works well here.

Dave

[John 2]

Many thanks for the comments Binnur, Jean and Dave.

[Rita]

Nice captures John. I am another one that has never seen this bird.

[John 2]

Thank you Rita.

[Teton Chuck]

Very nice photos.

[Wavelength]

So lovely

[John 2]

Thanks Chuck, thanks Nandakumar.

[billtils]

Excellent shots John. They take me back XX years to when I'd visit my grandparents who lived in the country in Ayrshire, near a small loch; curlews (or Whaups in the local dialect) were fairly common but more often heard than seen - and they do indeed have a very distinctive call.