Very Accomadating Curlew

Another fantastic bird crossed my path over the weekend. This guy is a Bristle-thighed Curlew. They are magnificent animals, and I hope my humble image does this great bird some justice. He and four of his friends were hanging out on the beach on Sunday and they were good enough to let me photograph them. Most curlews are usually very secretive and don't let you get too close but these birds actually seemed pretty curious. Two of them even came towards me to check me out, in my hiding place behind a Sceavola bush. If you look closely you can see the wispy bristle feathers above the leg that give this species their odd name.