Curlew on Belhaven Bay

I will be really glad when the days lengthen and I am no longer struggling against diminishing light when taking photographs on the afternoon walk with the dogs. Today I took my 200mm lens and monopod out with me so that gained me a stop or so. The tide was right in and there was a patch of the bay where the sea was quite still and there were clusters of birds around the small tufts of grass that still provided an island haven for them. Initially I thought there were only gulls around but then I saw some widgeon and finally a curlew revealed itself. Surprisingly my best shot of the curlew was not when it was relatively static swimming around in the water but when it took off. Worth seeing LARGE to see the wonderful feather detail of the curlew in flight