The Eurasion Curlew is Britain’s largest wader. They have a very lovely warbling call which seams to be in the distance when in actual fact it can be quite close but sounding as though it’s coming from miles away. Here in Devon and particularly on the Exe I see them every day that I am out. I have seen them in vast flocks of 100 birds or more but more usually here they are in ones and two. I have noticed at Cockwood that they are quick to take advantage of the ebbing tide and fly in to probe amongst the newly exposed mussel beds. I have watched them catch crabs which makes them very excited and they usually fly off with this prize to eat it undisturbed by the crows and gulls.
I have found that if and when you try to approach them more closely for a better photo they will be the first birds to fly off usually calling as they leave, so consequently they are hard to get good shots of. I have bought a new chair hide and yesterday I sat on the foreshore inside the hide and a Curlew came literally within feet of the hide bit suddenly decided that he didn’t like the look of this new green tenty thing and then, after circling above flew to my right and settled just a bit nearer than usual but into the sun, so a good shot wasnt on the cards. But it proved the worth of my new bit of kit. I did get this photo of the Curlew as it flew in towards me though

I think the pinkish bit of the beak is an attractive part of the bird and in flight they show the feather markings to much better effect.