Showing characters of...

Above Top - My field Notes ( I hope the welsh bloke did some during his 5 minutes) and bottom a tidier version. Sorry I didnt have a camera then.

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, adieu....

The Druridge Slender-billed Curlew has finally bit the dust ( maybe too literally).

Its great to see loads of comments on twitter from people who didnt see it saying 'there I told you so' and one who did see it say 'I looked at it for 5 mins, wasted my time then drove back to Wales' . I do hope he spends such a long time poring over the other rarities he twitches. Unless his expertise is so great he knew immediately it wasn't one. Maybe he should have told the BBRC and saved them 15 years?

I saw it twice, but then again it was only 3 miles from home. First time was in drizzle at distance when it didn't look like anything different, then the next time it was in good light at a nice range with other Curlews. This bird was like no Common Curlew or Eastern Curlew etc, thats for sure.

As for Evans saying its the same individual that was at Minsmere, what a load of bollocks. Just google images of both and see what you think .His chin was wobbling when he dipped it on the Friday ( as seen on TV local news with Tom Tams laughing in the background)

After seeing the bird, some of us were quite privileged to see a skin of a first year female SBC at the Hancock Museum in Newcastle that looked identical.

So why was it booted? I've no idea but have to bow to the greater knowledge and experience of those experts who feel it isn't fit for inclusion.  Maybe it was just too rare to be a possibility...I suppose I'll have to remove it from my lists?