Gone Birding

The bird was observed and drawn on the morning and afternoon of the 7th May 1998. I was fortunate to be able to see the bird at fairly close range through a Questar 'scope, from one of the hides at the reserve.

I admit to being a total skeptic when we went for this bird, I never thought we would see anything other than a small Eurasian Curlew, but I was amazed by the bird when I saw it. I remained a skeptic for a long time, but I did argue with birders who maintained it was "just a Curlew" and who had not seen the bird and spoke a load of rubbish about its appearance despite having never seen the bird! However over the years I have become to be a believer as I have never found a suitable explanation for the bird's appearance other than that it was indeed a SBC however much I find it difficult to believe one could have still existed in 1998 let alone turn up in the UK!

I traveled down to see this bird after much thought, I was persuaded by others to give it a go... Sadly when I arrived and saw the bird I was totally underwhelemed, it never looked anyting other than a Eurasion Curlew, and at times you could see the arrowhead flank marks of Euraisian Curlew, albeit faint and small......