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News from the International Waterbird CensusWestern Palearctic and Southwest Asia

Issue no. 12 July 2009

PO BOX 4716700 AL Wageningen

The NetherlandsTel. +31 318 660910Fax +31 318 660950

E-mail: [email protected]

Newsletter for national waterbird monitoring coordinators and observers

Special Slender-billed Curlew issue!

The Slender-billed Curlew Numenius

tenuirostrisis the rarest bird in TheWestern Palearctic and Southwest Asia,with the last confirmed record inHungary in 2001. This coming winter,2009 - 2010, we are making specialefforts to find this Critically Endangeredbird. We hope that all IWC coordinatorsand counters within the historic andpotential range of the species will join inthese efforts. Observers in these

countries are being asked to carry out

special surveys to try and find Slender-billed Curlews. Counters andbirdwatchers from other countries arebeing encouraged to visit countrieswhere the species used to occur, to helpwith the search. In this Newsletter youwill find articles explaining how you canhelp, where you need to look, and whatto do if you find a Slender-billed Curlewthis winter.

CONTENTSPage2. Whyjo in the race to find the Slender -bi lled cur lew? And how w e can help you win! Nicola Crockford

5. Narrowing the search - Graeme Buchanan6. When, where and how to search? - Tom van der Have7. Map: Verified records of Slender-bil led Curlew since 19008. Protocol for international Slender-bill ed Curlew survey efforts, 2009-2010 - Simon Delany9. Reward offered for finding Slender-billed Curlew in the Middle East! Richard Porter10. Identification of Slender-billed Curlew-Tom van der Have, Paschalis Dougalis, Chris Gomersall11. Detecting rare birds during IWC counts the Italian experience - Nicola Baccetti 12. The Hellenic Slender-billed Curlew working group - Stratis Bourdakis13. The first Slender-billed Curlew in Britain Tim Cleeves14. What we will do if we catch any Slender-billed Curlews - Nigel Clark

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Why join the race to find the Slender-billed Curlew? And how we canhelp you win!

Nicola Crockford, Chair, Slender-billed Curlew Working Group (RSPB and BirdLife International)

A last push to find the Slender-billed Curlewwas launched in December 2008 in Rome,

during the Conference of the Parties of theConvention on Migratory Species (CMS).

The first comprehensive survey of the non-breeding range will be undertaken during2009/2010. Surveys will extend from Morocco to

Japan, and concentrate on the shores of theMediterranean, Black, Red and Caspian Seas,

the Pannonian Plain (Central Europe), thePersian Gulf and the coasts of the South Asiansubcontinent. The focus is on finding winteringand moult sites, with the hope of trapping andsatellite-tagging any birds found. The

International Waterbird Census is uniquelyplaced to provide a framework for the survey.

We hope that National Coordinators incountr ies where the Slender-billed Curlewmay occur wil l rise to the urgent challenge of

finding the bird so that conservation actioncan be taken before it is too late.

This can be done by encouraging IWC countersto search for the species, and more specificallyby helping to coordinate teams of birdidentification experts. These experts willsupplement the regular IWC count teams byspending time checking the identity of allNumenius species encountered. Where nationalcapacity is lacking, these bird identificationexperts can be drawn from a pool of internationalvolunteers. Some teams of identification expertsmay not be able to join in with the IWC but itwould still be helpful if the National Coordinatorcan direct them to fill the main gaps in coverage.

National Coordinators in countries having astrong tradition of birdwatching and a lot of birdidentification experts can also help byencouraging such experts to travel to countrieswhere their skills can be put to use in the search!Small amounts of funding are available tofacilitate the survey, for example to cover thetravel expenses of bird identification experts, toensure the fullest possible coverage.

The Slender-billed Curlew Working Group isproducing a range of products to assist thesearch for further information or copies ofproducts contact [email protected]

Much information is available atwww.slenderbilledcurlew.netincluding: a leaflet on identification and reporting of

Slender-billed Curlew that can also beobtained as hard copies (water-resistant and

designed to fit into a field guide). It is beingmade available in a number of languages(eg Greek, Russian, Persian, French and

Arabic). a downloadable recording of the Slender-

billed Curlew call (which makes a goodmobile phone ring tone! the more this is

played, the more people are likely todistinguish it in the field). a link to video footage of Slender-billed

Curlew (also in comparison to Whimbrel andEurasian Curlew).

Slender-billed Curlew pin badges articles recently published about the

Slender-billed Curlew Search in Birdwatchmagazine in the UK and in the InternationalWader Study Group Bulletin: these can beadapted for national magazines.

a copy of the Slender-billed Curlewdatabase: if you are aware of any

inaccuracies or omissions please let usknow. a database of confirmed zeros i.e. places

and times thoroughly searched for Slender-billed Curlew without success will also beadded: in the meantime, any such recordswould be gratefully received.

Draft protocols on:-Slender-billed Curlew survey methods- Slender-billed Curlew catching, handlingand satellite-tracking- Making ecological observations of Slender-billed Curlew- Communications in the event of aconfirmed record.

These protocols will be finalised following theSlender-billed Curlew workshop on 21September 2009 at the International WaderStudy Group annual conference in theNetherlands.

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Slender-billed Curlew habitat (glasswort swards i n autumn), Evros Delta, Greece (DidierVangeluwe)

The Slender-billed Curlew Working Group will beat the British Birdwatching Fair, 21-23 August2009, which will be a good opportunity to recruitbird identification experts willing to collaboratewith IWC teams in various countries. If you are

likely to need such volunteers, please [email protected] yourrequirements in terms of numbers of volunteersand timing of visit.

Once you have located some Slender-billedCurlews, then the Slender-billed Curlew WorkingGroup has established a pool of internationalexperts to form a rapid reaction team to travel,within a day or two, to the location of anyconfirmed Slender-billed Curlew sighting andprovide assistance to local teams as necessary.This includes:

a verification panel of international expertson Slender-billed Curlew identification toagree, with national rarities committees orequivalent where they exist, on whethersightings are indeed of Slender-billedCurlews,

expert bird rarities photographers and soundrecordists,

experienced Numeniuscatchers and taggers(we have four satellite tags to deploy),

scientists experienced in undertakingbehavioural and ecological observations ofwaders (especially Numenius) and

quantifying their habitats.

The Slender-billed Curlew Working Group is alsoestablishing contact with at least oneGovernmental and one non-Governmentalrepresentative in each country. We are hopingthat the Governmental representative will be in aposition to help rush through permissions forcatching, tagging and protecting the birdswhen they are found, as well as supporting a

national Slender-billed Curlew survey. Theinternational hunters organisations FACE andCIC are also involved with the project and willassist in controlling hunting in any location wherethe Slender-billed Curlew is found.

Because the Slender-billed Curlew is a speciesthat even highly skilled and well-equippedbirdwatchers can find challenging to identifythere is a high chance that it has beenoverlooked. Within its range, two much moreconspicuous, globally threatened birdpopulations have recently been discovered 2,000 Sociable Lapwings in Syria and 3,000 inTurkey in 2007 (when the world population wasthought to be only 200-600 pairs), and, in Syriain 2002, the only natural breeding colony ofNorthern Bald Ibis outside Morocco. This gives

us hope that we can find good subjects for studythis coming winter, before it is too late.

Even if we do not f ind the Slender-billedCurlew, the search for this iconic species willprovide many benefits: further invigorating the existing national

networks o f IWC counters. encouraging recruitment of new counters

to the IWC. increasing IWC coverage and gathering

further data on Important Bird Areas andother wetland si tes.

providing opportunities for publicity forthe IWC and implementing organisations;the media like this story of the quest forthis lost bird.

building national bird identificationcapacity.

building international networks of peopleenthusiastic about finding andconserving g lobally threatened birds (the

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contacts database of the Slender-billedCurlew Working Group currently hasmore than 300 contacts from more than80 countries).

gathering information on other globally-threatened species, especially SociableLapwing, Siberian Crane and NorthernBald Ibis,and on poorly known sub-

species of curlew with which Slender-billed Curlew could be confused. Inparticular, the eastern subspecies of theglobally Near Threatened EurasianCurlew Numenius arquata orientalis, isscarce and declining, the steppe form N.a. suschk iniis poorly known (andprobably also threatened and the steppe

Whimbrel N. phaeopus alboaxillarisisalso very rare.

providing an opportunity where highlyskilled bird identification experts areuniquely placed to participate in globalbird conservation.

if the worst comes to the worst, at leastwe, in this part of the world, will have

done our best to find our lost species,before giving up on it, and set anexample that we can be proud of; thereare currently 45 other lost specieselsewhere in the world including fiveother waterbirds.

Slender-billed Curlew passage habitat, Amvrakikos, Greece. Adam Gretton

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Narrowing the search for the Slender-billed Curlew

Graeme Buchanan, RSPB, UK

Reports of Slender-billed Curlew come fromacross Europe, the Middle East, and Central

Asia, and extend into India and Sri Lanka with

historical records even from Japan. This meansthat field searches have a massive area to coverin the quest to find the birds again. Reducing thepotential search area and targeting searches willincrease the efficiency of surveys and increasethe chances of finding the Slender-billed Curlew.

As a starting point, field surveys can be targetedon locations of previous sightings, or onapparently similar areas within the vicinity ofhistoric records. A database of all knownSlender-billed Curlew records has been collated,using local contacts and literature searches, andthis can be used to prioritise sites for coverage.

See: www.slenderbilledcurlew.net.

Further, through interpolation of these recordswe have identified at what time of year particularareas should be visited in order to maximise thechance of a bird being recorded. However, thisstill leaves extensive areas to cover, not least inthe potential breeding grounds of central Asia.

We are attempting to focus the searches byidentifying the areas most likely to hold the birdsthrough a range of approaches. The chemicalcomposition of feathers from museum skins will

reflect the isotope signature of the area in whichthey were grown, since the isotopes are passedthrough the food chain. Ratios of isotopes in

February 1968 Aiguil lon Bay, France. Michel Brosselin

Slender-billed Curlew habitat (shrubby glasswortthickets associated with mudflats beside lagoons),

Evros Delta, Greece (Didier Vangeluwe

feathers are calculated using massspectrometry, and this approach has previouslyidentified broad areas of potential occurrence ofother species. By using a combination of 15N,13

C,2H and Strontium we hope to identify the

breeding areas based on the signatures ofimmature birds. This work is very much inprogress but we hope to use the outputs totarget field surveys in 2010.

Museum skins may also provide a source of

trace elements, pollen, and DNA. Traceelements and pollen may identify characteristicsof sites, such as plant communities, where thebirds have visited or moulted. If suitable qualityDNA can be extracted from skins it may also bepossible to consider whether there is anyevidence of genetically distinct populations(Mediterranean vs Middle Eastern).

If sufficient information exists it may also bepossible to examine moult patterns, and identifywhere or when birds may be moulting. Thepotential distribution of Slender-billed Curlewscould also be narrowed through comparativestudies of similar species, particularly EurasianCurlew, Whimbrel and Eskimo Curlew. We planto review the diets of these species, togetherwith habitat selection, migration routes andpotentially physiology. We hope theseapproaches will help to identify sites and areasthat could be considered more suitable forSlender-billed Curlews. These would be of agreater priority for visits by survey teams

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When, where and how tosearch?

Tom van der Have, WIWO, The Netherlands

HabitatObservations of the Slender-billed Curlew havebecome very rare in the last four decades.Primarily this has been caused by its(increasing) rarity, but also because the speciesmay have been overlooked in extensive, drierhabitats. Its apparently preferred habitat,extensively grazed, wet grassland, may havebecome less extensive in the Mediterranean andMiddle East. Drier steppe and salt marshvegetation surrounding wetlands still seemsabundant in some regions (Algeria, Tunisia). Thepossibility of finding a single Slender-billedCurlew in these extensive areas now seems very

challenging indeed. Slender-billed Curlews havebeen observed in a wider range of coastal andinland wetland habitats, in particular duringmigration.

Most observations have been of resting birds.Foraging birds have only been observed ingrazed wet grassland and salt marshes of MerjaZerga, Morocco (1988 1995), and dry, saltmarsh vegetation or even agricultural fields inPuglia, Italy (1995). In both areas, wetlands wereonly used for roosting. Indeed the mudflat roostsite at Merja Zerga was too distant for the birds

to be readily distinguishable from the shore.

That means we have very little information aboutwhich areas and habitats should be the focus ofour attention. Known observations are mainlyfrom birdwatching trips (one to five personsvisiting a few wetlands over a day or so) butsuch surveys are often too short and cover allbird species in an area. Waterbird surveys (oneto ten persons visiting several wetlands forseveral days) have generated several records.These surveys often can spend too little time onidentification (for a solution, see contribution of

Nicola Baccetti, p. 11) and tend to focus onareas that do not seem suitable as foragingareas. Specific surveys have been carried out inwetlands with historical records. Again, the drierforaging areas may have been overlookedduring these surveys and there are few accountsof night roost checks in the evening or morning.

WhenThe annual cycle and staging times of theSlender-billed Curlew could be as follows:stopover sites (numerous potential sites) 1 - 20days, breeding area (vast, largely unknown) 60 -90 days, moulting sites (completely unknown,

but could include the likes of Aral Sea, CaspianSea, Black Sea/Danube Delta, Pannonian Plain)30 60 days, wintering area (several well knownsites and potentially others in the east which areyet to be found) 120 - 150 days.

Merja Zerga, Morocco Chris Gomersall

From this it is clear that the wintering period(November March) provides the best chance tofind Slender-billed Curlew, as many differentwetlands could be checked within range statesover a longer period of time without decreasingobservation chance. However, the effort per sitehas been rarely documented and it is unclear

how long a specific area should be checked tomaximize observation chance.

WhereCountrieswithin the wintering and moult rangewith the highest number of historical records areItaly, Greece, Morocco, Hungary, Ukraine andTunisia. Other potential areas may be found inother North African countries (Algeria, Egypt andLibya), Mediterranean countries like Turkey,Spain and Albania, the Black Sea countries ofBulgaria and Romania, Caspian Sea countries ofRussia and Kazakhstan, Middle East countries

such as Iran, Iraq, Oman and Iran and countriesfurther east such as India, Sri Lanka. There areeven historical records from Japan!

Sites Information is available about the siteswith historical records for each of thesecountries.

Habitat Every birdwatcher seriously looking forSlender-billed Curlew should make a mental

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search image of the extensively grazed, wetgrassland and salt marsh of Merja Zerga,Morocco. Drier steppe salt marsh or evenagricultural fields may also be suitable. GoogleEarth may be used to help pinpoint suitableremaining habitat: sites that supported birdshistorically may no longer have suitable habitat.

HowMake a mental image of the Slender-billedCurlew jizz from the published pictures (smallsize, whitish plumage, very dark legs and, inadults, dark bill,), videos and call.

Make use of taped calls to lure birds.

Check each wetland complex for at least twodays and include a morning and evening visit ofpotential roosting sites (For more details, seecontribution of Nicola Baccetti, p. 11).

Check roosts especially of Numeniussp. andalso perhaps of Limosa sp. and Vanellussp.Roosts on intertidal mudflats may be too distant

to be readily checked so observations when thebirds are arriving or leaving the roost may bepreferable. At hypersaline sites, roost sites maybe at freshwater inflows and potentially moreaccessible.

Do not only rely on scoping when confrontedwith extensive steppe or salt marsh vegetation,

but walkthe area too.

Checking Eurasian Curlews and Whimbrels overand over again will train your mind and searchimage, but may distract you from the reallyinteresting foraging habitats for Slender-billedCurlew, which are less frequented by the othercurlew species.

However, it is important also to record andsubmit any observations on the confusionsubspecies of Eurasian Curlew and Whimbrel.

It is important also to submit records ofconfirmed zeros.

Verif ied records of Slender-billed Curlew since 1900Single records in The Seychelles and Canada are omitted

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Protocol for international Slender-billed Curlew survey efforts, 2009-2010

Simon Delany,IWC Coordinator, Wetlands International

Most countries within the range of the Slender-billed Curlew participate in the January counts

that are the basis of IWC. It is recommendedthat in all countries where Slender-billed Curlewhas been recorded, and in all where there is areasonable chance that it may be found, aspecial effort is made to search for it at leastbetween August 2009 and July 2010.Furthermore, the opportunity should be used togather information on the eastern Numeniussubspecies N. arquata orientalis, N. a. sushkiniand N. phaeopus alboaxillarisas well any otherglobally threatened species.

1. How to prepare for the search

National waterbird count coordinators shouldrecruit a team of bird identification experts tocomplement the counting teams who go into thefield in January 2010. In countries on migrationroutes, and with potential moult sites of Slender-billed Curlew, it will also be very valuable tosearch suitable sites on autumn (August toDecember) and spring (February to June)migration. To organize these surveys, NationalCoordinators should:

Use personal contacts, internetdiscussion fora, national ornithologicalorganisations, publications, newsletters,etc., to identify bird identification expertsin their country who are enthusiasticabout finding Slender-billed Curlews.

If possible, recruit a volunteer nationalSlenderbilled Curlew surveycoordinator, to take responsibility fororganizing and implementing efforts atnational level; in some countries it maybe appropriate to form a nationalSlender-billed Curlew working group, asis already the case in Greece, forexample (see contribution of StratiusBourdakis on p.12).

Fully inform all such bird identification

experts about the international surveyand encourage them and their friends toparticipate.

Maintain a list of contact details of theseexperts.

Allocate a team of one to four suchexperts to accompany each individual,team or group of teams coveringsuitable habitat in their country for

Slender-billed Curlews during theJanuary count (and/or in countries which

may have potential moult sites, inAugust). Where resources allow, it ispreferable for the Slender-billed Curlewidentification teams to have their owntransport so that they can move betweencount teams to check Numenius flocksas they are located.

Inform the Slender-billed CurlewWorking [email protected] identification experts areavailable in the country, so that expertsfrom other countries can be recruited.

Inform the Slender-billed CurlewWorking Group if surplus identificationexperts are available, so that theseexperts can help in countries with ashortage of expertise.

Ensure that identification experts areequipped with suitable photographic,sound recording and other necessaryequipment in addition to normal birdinggear.

Encourage identification experts to meetthe counters before the January count todiscuss logistics and details of areas to

be covered. If appropriate, use the visiting bird

identification experts to build capacity forbird identification among regular IWCteams.

Identify any experts who would beavailable and prepared to travel,including to other countries, at shortnotice to verify unconfirmed reports.

2. Where to look (For more details, see articleby Tom van der Have on page 6).Searches should be conducted at all thefollowing types of site in the country:

Sites where Slender-billed Curlew hasbeen recorded in the past and wheresuitable habitat remains.

Sites where Eurasian Curlew andWhimbrel have been recorded in thepast.

Coastal sites with inter-tidal habitats,saltmarshes, and adjacent grasslandsand arable fields.

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Steppe and grassland sites known to beused by waterbirds.

3. How to do the surveysEach counting team or individual counterconducting a count in suitable habitat should beaccompanied by, or associated with anidentification expert:

Counters should conduct the census inthe same way as they do every year.

Complementary logistical arrangementsshould be made between counters andidentification experts before the count.

Identification experts should ensure theyare familiar with the identificationcharacteristics of Slender-billed Curlew,Numenius tenuirostris, and also of allforms of Eurasian Curlew (Numeniusarquata arquata, Numenius arquataorientalis,andNumenius arquatasuschkini), and Whimbrel (Numenius

phaeopus phaeopus, Numeniusphaeopus islandicusand Numeniusphaeopus alboaxillaris) occurring withinthe range of Slender-billed Curlew.

Identification experts should concentratewholly on finding, identifying andcounting species of Curlew, and theirdata should be recorded separately fromthose of the counting team, on simplerecording forms that will be provided.The opportunity should be taken to keepan eye out, as appropriate, for other keyglobally threatened species especially

Sociable Lapwing, Siberian Crane andNorthern Bald Ibis.

4. What to do when an unusual Curlew isfound

An unusual Curlew is a small , pale oneshowing a dark legs and in an adult, dark bill.

Take care not to disturb the bird(s).

Obtain digital photographs and/or videorecordings and/or sound recordings

Identify, count, and if possible age andsex any individuals and record any moultdetails.

Obtain precise geographicalcoordinates, with a GPS if necessary.

Inform complementary counter(s),national and international coordinatorsas rapidly as possible, including theSlender-billed Curlew Working Group:[email protected]+44 1767680551 or [email protected]+44 7920 050670.

If necessary, request expert assistancein confirming identification including fromnational rarities committee whereavailable (a list of contacts will beavailable onwww.slenderbilledcurlew.net).

Assess whether it is likely to be worth

attempting to catch the bird (seeprotocol for catching).

Where possible, collect behaviouralinformation (see protocol for recordingbehaviour).

Slender-billed Curlew, Yemen, January 1984Richard Porter

Reward offered for finding Slender-billed Curlew!Richard Porter, SBC International Verification Panel, UK

Four members of the Cley Bird Club in NorthNorfolk, UK, are offering US$1,000fora photograph of a live Slender-billed Curlewtaken in the Middle East. Because of theidentification challenges posed by thespecies, any photograph will have to be verifiedby the Slender-billed Curlew InternationalVerification Panel, which comprises waderexperts with past experience of the species.

Richard Porter, who has organised this reward,and is helping with the forthcoming wintersurveys in the Middle East, plans that $500 willgo to the photographer and $500 to aconservation cause in the country where thephotograph was taken.

Already two photographs have been submitted -taken in Iraq last winter - but sadly they were notproven to be Slender-billed Curlews.

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Tips on identification of Slender-billed CurlewTom van der Have, Paschalis Dougalis & Chris Gomersall

Slender-billed Curlew, Merja Zerga, Morocco, February 1995.Photo by Chris Gomersall/rspb images.

Note that the legs are completely dark and short (both tibia and tarsus) independent of age and sex. Thebill is dark in adults. Other characters such as short bill and pale plumage are important but not unique.Plumage details, such as the spots on the breast (only in adults) and fine bill are usually only visible atshort range. It is recommended to take pictures or video recordings of any pale, smallish looking curlewwith a short bill in the Mediterranean or Middle East, as details often become only visible when zooming indigitally

Slender billed Curlew painting by Paschalis Dougalis

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Detecting rare birds during IWC counts the Italian experience

Nicola Baccetti, Waterbird count coordinator, ISPRA, Italy

IWC field activities do usually provide anexcellent opportunity to detect waterbirdsbelonging to rare species, firstly because they

require a reasonably complete coverage of theterritory (i.e. not limited to the best spots), andsecondly because they are mainly carried out byskilled and motivated observers, which is notnecessarily the case in 'free' bird-watching. Incountries lacking solid birding traditions, such asItaly, IWC counts may represent the onlyoccasion within any year to survey manywetlands, particularly remote ones and thosewith access restrictions. Consequently, thenumber of January records of waterbirds inornithological databases may overwhelm or evenbias their seasonal phenology, at least for locally

uncommon/rare species

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IWC records

other records

Seasonal pattern of a locally uncommonwaterbird (Shelduck, Tadorna tadorna) from thefiles of an Italian ornithological group (CentroOrnitologico Toscano, courtesy: Luca Puglisi).Number of records in the database of Tuscanyfor years 2000 to 2008 (y axis) and months (xaxis). IWC records contribute twice as manyrecords to the January figure as all otherornithological activities and bring this monthabove March, when the peak of migrationoccurs.

This suggests that, within the winter range of theSlender-billed Curlew, should a new record beobtained outside a specific searching effort, itwould quite likely be via the IWC network. Thereare, however, a few methodologicalrequirements of waterbird counts that are inconflict with the detection probability of a rarespecies and/or one that is difficult to identify (and

the Slender-billed Curlew is an extreme exampleof both these attributes).

Time constraints are one: you cannot spend toolong looking at any single individual or a smallgroup, when the risk is that large flocks will movebefore they have been entirely counted.Understandably, some sort of paranoia oftenspreads among observers in order to speed upthe counts, in the fear that any adverse factor(weather, disturbance, etc) will decrease theaccuracy of number estimations, if not make thework of the day totally useless.

Observation distances are another limit; again,assessing the population size of the most

representative species may not allow approachof rare/difficult birds as closely as needed,because of the risk of moving large numbers ofbirds and missing the possibility to count them.

A (small) number of methodological solutionshave sometimes been put into practice by localteams within the Italian IWC network to preventsuch problems. First is the 'off-duty team', highlyappreciated by its members for the excellentbirding possibilities that it offers. It is simply asmall team moving in relative freedom around awetland, while the standard teams cover theirfixed counting sections. These may call byphone the lucky guys and ask for theirintervention wherever a better check is needed.Or, this not being the case, the off-duty teammay decide on its own what to do and what tolook at with a twitching approach. A few scarcespecies usually turn up, and at the end of theday, we discover how many were missed by thestandard teams of counters.

Separate counts can be another way to improvethe detection of 'rarities'. Their use in Italy israther aimed at shortening the census durationby skipping some species-groups that will be

counted on the next day. But such an approachhas also been tested in favour of all scarcespecies: on a second day, one whole wetland issurveyed again, but all commonest species areignored.

Finally, repeated counts at roosting and feedingareas (or time) are done for several species thatform social roosts (cormorants, egrets, curlews

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etc), not necessarily in tidal areas. One of ourclassic routines when counting Apulian salines inS Italy (absolutely non-tidal), with teamsreaching the area from long distances and forvery few days, is to place by mid-afternoonenough observers near all curlew roosts knownfrom previous years, while the remainingobservers finish the general survey. Even if the

roost count does not improve the numberalready counted on the feeding areas, theevening watch usually gives a good opportunityto individually check many birds engaged in

conspicuous behaviour (flying, landing etc) andhearing vocalizations. Of course many of themwill join the roost when it is too dark, but earlyarrivals can be quite numerous.

Morocco, January 1988 Arnoud van den Berg

The Hellenic Slender-billed Curlew Working GroupStratis Bourdakis, Hellenic Slender-billed Curlew Working Group (Hellenic Ornithological Society, Greece)

Greece has a worldwide importance for themigration of Slender-billed Curlews, with morethan one hundred records. Monitoring and

conservation efforts for the most threatenedspecies in Europe was one of the first priorities ofthe Hellenic Ornithological Society (HOS) andGreek ornithologists, with the implementation oftwo projects in 1988 and 1999.

The tracking campaign for the Slender-billedCurlew launched by RSPB was the motive for thevoluntary establishment of the Hellenic Slender-billed Curlew Working Group within HOS for thepromotion of this international effort in Greece. Itsbasic aim is to motivate and inform birdwatcherson the identification of the species, the sites and

dates they should visit in order to have bettercoverage of the wetlands where Slender-billedCurlew were seen most regularly, and provideguidance on the steps that should be followed if apossible Slender-billed Curlew is recorded.

The main results of the voluntary work of ourworking group are so far: The Hellenic Rarities Committee checked all

the Greek specimens at museums abroad,and historic records in the literature.

The working group, in close cooperation withthe International Working Group, elaboratedexisting data and results of previous projects.These were used to create maps, time-chartsand together with visual and audio materialwere distributed in hardcopies and/or wereavailable in electronic format for downloadamong the Greek birdwatching community.

A website(www.ornithologiki.gr/gr/numeniustenuirostris)

was created within HOS website (in Greekand English) with all relevant information andlinks to the main Slender-billed Curlew

websites.

The toolkit for finding Slender-billed Curlewswas translated and printed in Greek in aleaflet and poster that were distributed at theinformation centres of the main wetlands.

A network of experienced birdwatchers wasestablished in all wetlands with records ofSlender-billed Curlew, in order to have a firstevaluation of all possible records.

In order to have the best possible coverage of

the wetlands and participation of the relativelyfew Greek birdwatchers, the 2009 Slender-billed Curlew spring survey was advertisedamong the Greek bird watching community.

It was decided that all national Photo BirdRace prizes, organized by HOS last April,would be offered to anyone that would take aphoto of a Slender-billed Curlew.

The first period of the project (Spring 2009) didnot produce any Slender-billed Curlew records,but motivated many birdwatchers, who searched

22 wetlands during 51 visits, an excellentachievement for such a voluntary exercise inGreece. Interesting data were collected forEurasian Curlew and Whimbrel. The search willbe continued and we are trying to achieve bettercoverage of the wetlands, hoping that we willcontribute to international efforts for theconservation of the species.

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The first Slender-billed Curlew inBritain- Tim Cleeves

Extracted and edited from a paper that firstappeared in the journal British Birds

At approximately 17.50 hours on 4th May 1998,my wife Ann and I entered the Budge Hide at theNorthumberland Wildlife Trust Reserve atDruridge Bay, Northumberland. As we opened

the hide shutters, a light aircraft flew overscaring some curlews, a Black-tailed Godwit anda smaller, curlew-like wader, which I assumedwas a Whimbrel. Switching from binoculars tomy scope, I followed the unidentified bird downand simply expected to see the stripy crown,darker chest and steeply-curved bill of a classicWhimbrel. Not so; although superficially like asmall curlew, the most striking features were itsvery pale wing-coverts, which contrasted sharplywith dark-centred scapulars, and a fine, thin bill.I looked at it long and hard, but couldnt work itout. Both puzzled and intrigued, I started to

make some sketches and take field notes.

Having watched it carefully for a while, I thoughtit was not a Eurasian Curlew. Some extra helpseemed a good idea so we contacted TomTams, Colin Bradshaw, Jimmy Steele and MaryCarruthers. We continued to watch the mysterybird, and increasingly, amid growing excitement,we felt that it had features consistent withSlender-billed Curlew. The five of us watched ituntil 20.25 hours and took extensive field notesand sketches.

On the evening of 4th May, I had to return southto work in Bedfordshire, so was unable to visitDruridge again while the bird was still present. Itremained until 7th May.

Later the same month, I visited the NaturalHistory Museum at Tring and examined thecollection of 21 Slender-billed Curlew skinsthere, as well as a number of Eurasian Curlewskins. By that time, I had also been given twovideos of the Druridge bird and I was able towatch these on the same day as looking at theskins. Most of the Slender-billed Curlew skins atTring are of birds obtained in the Mediterraneanin the nineteenth and early twentieth century(between 1857 and 1918). There are 12 malesand 9 females, and six of the skins appeared tobe first-years, which looked more streaked thanspotted below. Just one skin appears to be afirst-summer, a male from Siellbar, near Gotha,Germany, which is dated 12th May and wascollected before 1864. This specimen looksmost like the Druridge bird because it has worn

wing-coverts contrasting with dark scapulars. It is alsointeresting that it was found in northwest Europe in May.Virtually all illustrations of Slender-billed Curlews, infield guides, in Birds of the Western Palearctic and in

other reference books show only adults and/orjuveniles, and I could not find an illustration of a first-summer. Eventually, I did find a painting by ChristopherSchmidt, which was produced in 1992 and used inGreece to help people recognise and report this globallythreatened species at Greek coastal sites. Thisillustration of a juvenile/first-winter Slender-billed Curlewis, in fact, quite similar to the Druridge bird but insteadof spotting on the breast and flank sides it shows thetypical streaks of a juvenile.

In summary the video material (four videos in total), thestill images and the field descriptions from a number of

skilled birders confirmed my belief that the Druridge birdshowed the key identification features of Slender-billedCurlew.

Most importantly, it had a noticeably fine bill, which wasboth thinner in depth and width compared with EurasianCurlew. The bill tip in particular was very fine, andlacked any expansion laterally near the tip. The sides ofthe breast and flanks were spotted, and lacked anycross-barring or arrow-shaped markings at all, unlikeEurasian Curlew. The tail was strikingly pale-looking,with large areas of white between the neat grey tail-bars. This feature is not diagnostic of Slender-billed

Curlew, but is a useful supplementary feature (see, forexample, the line drawings and description in Glutz etal. 1977, Handbuch der Vogel Mitteleuropus). It did notshow the very fine flank streaking associated with theeastern race of Eurasian Curlew N. a. orientalis, whichis, on average, paler and larger than nominate arquata,and thus much larger than even the largest femaleSlender-billed curlew. The overall size of the bird, andthe pattern of the upperparts, with the bleached, wornwing-coverts all pointed towards a first-summerSlender-billed curlew.

February 1968 Aiguillon Bay, France. Michel Brosselin

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Edited by the Slender-billed Curlew Working Group established under the U.N.Convention on Migratory Species. You may contact individual authors at thefollowing addresses

Nicola Baccetti nicola.baccettiatinfs.it Stratis Bourdakis numeniusatornithologiki.grGraeme Buchanan Graeme.Buchananatrspb.org.ukNigel Clark nigel.clarkatbto.orgTim Cleeves timcleevesatyahoo.co.ukNicola Crockford nicola.crockfordatrspb.org.ukSimon Delany simony.delanyatwetlands.orgTom van der Have Tom.vanderHaveatwur.nlRichard Porter richardporteratdialstart.net

You will need to replace at with the @ symbol in each address

Finally

Please do what you can to help the search for the Slender-billed Curlew!

The recommended dates for the 2010 IWC counts are 16-17 January andany searches in the next 12 months, and beyond, will be invaluable.

Many thanks indeed for your continuing contr ibution to the IWC

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