The curlew feeding beside the house

It was drizzling when I got out of bed this morning, but when I opened the curtains to look out at the sea I wasn't disappointed. I could see a curlew at the water's edge very near to where the burn flows into the sea, and quite close to where the two fishermen were casting last night in yesterday's blip. I grabbed my camera and slowly opened the window but despite getting a couple of shots they weren't very sharp in the gloomy light. It took fright suddenly and as I peered out to see where it had flown off to I spotted a heron standing in the water too a little further away. More poor pictures followed, although I did at least get some of the heron taking off to move its position alomg the shoreline.

Tonight as the rain had cleared I went for a short walk towards the setting sun, along the road which borders the rocky beach. I soon spotted a heron in the shallows and decided to try and stalk it by moving slowly although I was in full view. But as I neared it, it kept flying about twenty yards further away each time. Shooting into the sun was producing any good pictures either. Finally I crept behind some bushes beside the beach hoping to get closer but as I emerged ro peek out at the heron, I saw it flying away again. But in the opposite direction a curlew was also taking off and flying back towards Nanno's house and the beach below it.

I followed its flight with my eyes and saw exactly where it had landed about two hundred yards away and headed back slowly the way I had come. A curlew is a much rarer prey. As I walked slowly beside the beach I spotted quite a range of other birds which were also looking for food at the edge of the incoming tide, many of which I didn't recognise.

The curlew moved along the foreshore very purposefully but seemed to notice me and then reversed its direction towards the house. I followed it and took some pictures to show roughly where it was browsing and they very pretty in the evening light with the house on the beach and the woodlands all reflected in the still water.

I decided to go to the garden on the far side of the house as it would keep me out of sight until the last minute when I could peer over the garden wall separating it from the beach. This is what I saw for a couple of seconds, before this sensitive bird noticed me and flew away again. I have had to crop the picture heavily to get a closer view of it. This spot is quite close to where I saw two otters swimming several years ago, and I've been on the look out for them ever since, despite the advice from Woodpeckers that it is very rare to see them. This curlew will do in the meantime.