Long-billed Curlews

Long-billed Curlews are large, buffy brown shorebirds with very long, down curved bills, long legs with plain crowns.

An Assortment Of Spring Birds From Bear River MBR

By |2021-12-04T04:11:12-07:00April 23rd, 2021|Categories: American White Pelicans, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Clark's Grebes, Double-crested Cormorants, Eared Grebes, Forster's Terns, Gadwalls, Great Blue Herons, Long-billed Curlews, Red-winged Blackbirds, Sandhill Cranes, Utah, Western Grebes, White-faced Ibises, Yellow-headed Blackbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Today I wanted to share an assortment of spring birds all photographed at Bear River MBR yesterday on a bright and beautiful morning.

Sunrise with a Long-billed Curlew In A Florida Lagoon

By |2022-06-05T15:03:18-06:00May 27th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Long-billed Curlews, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I will say that my favorite and most memorable times photographing Long-billed Curlews happened while I was still living in Florida well away from their breeding grounds.

Long-billed Curlews Have Returned For Their Breeding Season

By |2021-03-14T15:39:25-06:00March 29th, 2020|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Long-billed Curlews, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Two days ago I heard and saw my first of the season Long-billed Curlews while looking for birds to photograph in northern Utah and I could barely contain my excitement.

Why Did The Curlew Cross The Road?

By |2021-01-29T11:00:44-07:00April 2nd, 2019|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Long-billed Curlews, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

The road is nothing more than a sandy track that runs through a grassland area where in past years I have seen Long-billed Curlews displaying, fighting, courting and mating and I hoped to see that yesterday.

Utah’s Long-billed Curlews Have Arrived And Their Calls Are Being Heard

By |2022-08-16T05:33:37-06:00March 26th, 2019|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Long-billed Curlews, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday when I saw, heard and photographed these Long-billed Curlews while on Antelope Island I was reminded of all the times I have taken photos of these large shorebirds here in Utah, Montana and in Florida and how I have enjoyed having an intimate view of their lives both through my lens and with my eyes.

Long-billed Curlew Foraging on Antelope Island

By |2022-03-31T04:48:59-06:00April 7th, 2018|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Long-billed Curlews, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Four days ago I was able to take my first photographs of Long-billed Curlews this year on Antelope Island State Park and although I was disappointed in the quality of most of the images I took I enjoyed seeing these large sandpipers again.

Photographing Shorebirds at Eye Level

By |2021-05-17T07:15:37-06:00April 6th, 2018|Categories: American Oystercatchers, Birds, Black-bellied Plovers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Greater Yellowlegs, Long-billed Curlews, Marbled Godwits, Pinellas County, Piping Plovers, Ruddy Turnstones|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Taking photographs of shorebirds at eye level was very fulfilling for me and the images that resulted from my down & dirty technique have always made me feel an intimate connection to the birds.

Long-billed Curlews – Shorebirds of the Great Basin

By |2022-08-16T05:35:02-06:00March 22nd, 2018|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Long-billed Curlews, Pinellas County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It was one year ago today that I saw and heard my first Long-billed Curlews of the year and this morning as I sit here knowing there are cloudy skies outside I am wondering if the curlews have returned to northern Utah today as well.

Long-billed Curlews – The Candlestick Birds

By |2022-03-31T04:50:23-06:00March 29th, 2017|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Long-billed Curlews, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I saw quite a few Long-billed Curlews yesterday wandering in the spring grasses and this time I was able to get nice images of them. Nicknames for Long-billed Curlews include "sicklebird" and "candlestick bird."

Go Easy on Adding Saturation in Bird Photography – Over Processing Mistakes

By |2024-01-07T03:27:16-07:00March 14th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Eastern Kingbirds, Long-billed Curlews, Reddish Egrets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

In bird photography there is such a thing as over processing mistakes and the mistake I see most often is adding way too much saturation.

Listening for Long-billed Curlews

By |2020-03-29T10:53:56-06:00March 2nd, 2017|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Long-billed Curlews, Pinellas County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The first of March always makes me think of and listen for Long-billed Curlews, our largest shorebird of North America.

Paying Attention to the Birds Beyond My Subject – The Surprise Curlew Behind the Reddish Egret

By |2020-07-24T06:23:24-06:00January 6th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Long-billed Curlews, Pinellas County, Reddish Egrets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I kept this photo of the Reddish Egret with the surprise curlew in the background not because it is a great image but to remind myself to look beyond the subject in front of me.

Curlews, Willets and Chukars

By |2016-12-07T12:06:13-07:00April 17th, 2016|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Chukars, Davis County, Long-billed Curlews, Utah, Willets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

I photographed Long-billed Curlews, Willets and Chukars along with a few other birds and a Pronghorn buck. It was a beautiful spring day.

Long-billed Curlew Wing Lift in Motion

By |2020-03-29T11:23:46-06:00May 11th, 2015|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Long-billed Curlews, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I had some fun with this Long-billed Curlew yesterday after the clouds thinned and the sunshine fell consistently on Antelope Island State Park.

Whimbrels and Long-billed Curlews

By |2023-04-28T03:35:48-06:00February 27th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Honeymoon Island State Park, Long-billed Curlews, Pinellas County, Whimbrels|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When I lived in Florida I was able to see and photograph two of our largest North American shorebirds during winter which are Whimbrels and Long-billed Curlews.

Portrait of a male Long-billed Curlew and a Western Kingbird display

By |2020-03-25T08:12:01-06:00June 12th, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Long-billed Curlews, Utah, Western Kingbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday morning I had Western Kingbirds and Long-billed Curlews in my viewfinder on Antelope Island State Park.

Long-billed Curlews are back in Utah!

By |2022-08-16T03:54:06-06:00March 23rd, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Long-billed Curlews, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I saw my first of the year Long-billed Curlews two days ago on Antelope Island State Park flying overhead. They weren't close enough to photograph but I know that soon I will have them in my viewfinder again.

Long billed Birds and Preening

By |2021-09-09T04:06:18-06:00March 7th, 2014|Categories: American Oystercatchers, American White Pelicans, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Long-billed Curlews, Roseate Spoonbills|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Preening in birds is essential for keeping their feathers clean, arranged correctly and for some birds it is a way to distribute oils from the uropygial gland which helps to keep the feathers clean and healthy.

Long-billed Curlews are winging their way to Utah

By |2022-08-16T05:27:01-06:00March 5th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Long-billed Curlews|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Long-billed Curlews have begun to leave or have left their wintering grounds and should be winging their way to Utah and arriving here any day now.

Female Long-billed Curlew in a Florida lagoon

By |2024-03-18T17:35:51-06:00September 28th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Long-billed Curlews|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It has been another very long week so I thought I'd post a female Long-billed Curlew because of her very long bill but unlike the way my week went this curlew is graceful, elegant and serene.

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