bird identification

[shivvy]

I was walking in a field which has a marshy area in the centre of it. Just as I came close to the wet area, 6-8 birds flew up out of the grass. I would like to identify them. They looked light brown in colour with cream/white either tips on their wings or on the underside of their wings. Their beak was long and curled downwards. They were probably the size of a starling but maybe a bit plumper.
I will check out the rspb site but you seem to need to know the name of the bird before you can look it up!!
Any ideas?

[dummkopf]

There aren't many birds with down curling beaks, but they could be young birds, perhaps curlew or young whimbrel

[skylight]

Hi shivvy, Try Snipe - right terrain, right size but has straight beak. check - http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/Infocenter/i2300i d.html. skylight

[skylight]

Sorry shivvy, mistake with web site - Just google Common Snipe and you will get a description and picture.

[shivvy]

it definately had a down turned beak which rules out the snipe.
I looked up curlew and all of the description fits eg the habitat etc. I actually had thought that it looked like a curlew (because of the beak) but ruled it out as I thought that they were only found on coastlines.
Every day is a schoolday as they say!
Thanks for your help.

[burnhal]

Curlew can be found lots of places inland -particularly wetland- we have them on and off in small numbers at the reserve I warden at near Oxford most times of the year. You are also likely to get odd birds turning up in odd places particularly at this time of year as its migration time.

[Cetti]

The size is helpful shivvy, as that can eliminate quite a few waders, but the light and also tthe distance can play tricks so identification particularly of waders who tend to be mostly brownish at this time of year can be a nightmare.

Taking the Starling at 21cms as your benchmark eliminates two of the suspects ie Curlew, the largest of the waders (a huge 55cms) and the smaller cousin the Whimbrel at 41 cms although the latter is also a plumper version of the former.

The only other wader with a downward curve is the Curlew Sandpiper at 21 cms. This bird is on migration at the moment so is another possibility as it's the nearest in size to the Starling.

[Thunderbird+]

Another bird you may like to look at is the Dunlin, the size seems close and its bill is slightly down-curved.

[shivvy]

What a lot of good advise.
I am sure that the beak was quite downturned but perhaps I got the size of it wrong. To be honest I am beginning to confuse what I actually saw with the pictures that I'm looking at!
I will try and see if I can spot them again but this time I will go equiped with by (somewhat crappy) binoculars!
At least this time I will know what to look out for.
Thanks everyone.