Bristle-thighed Curlew 22 May 2006

22 May 2006 Sunset Beach, Clatsop County Oregon

Eva and her dad were on drive to survey the birds on the beach north of Gearhart this afternoon when David spotted this bird. He immediately recognized it as a Bristle-thighed Curlew (as different from the common Whimbrel) due to the neck streaking that stopped abruptly at the pectoral region, the large creamy spots on the upperparts, and the overall warm cast to the plumage. In better light than when the photos were taken the tail appeared orange-red, the flanks pinkish buff, and the rump cinnamon-buff. The curlew even obliged by calling several times: a distinctive wolf whistle pee-ooo-weeep with the "oo" drawn out. The Bristle-thighed Curlew is one of the rarest breeding birds in North America (and the world). These Polynesian birds usually fly from their island homes directly across the ocean not making landfall until they reach their Alaskan breeding grounds. Occassionally a strong storm system may interrupt their flight causing them to fly west and make landfall further south. I presume that this is what happened with this individual. There is a large low pressure system centered off of the Washington Coast that has been in place for at least the last 12 hours which may have been inpassable. The bird has a full crop as can be seen in one of the photographs. There are abundant mole crabs on the N. Coast beaches currently and I imagine that the curlew may have been gorging one these. The Whimbrel sharin the same beach certainly are. Oh, the "bristles" on the thighs are very difficult to see and may not show up in the photographs. These are narrow feather that wisp down over the tibiataursus (upper leg) of the birds (unlike the Whimbrel). I saw them in the field.

I think a name that could have been equally as appropriate to this species would have been Polka Dot Curlew after the large rounded creamy spots on the upperparts that help to distinguish them form other Curlews.