European stone-curlew (European thick-knee) : Buckinghamshire : 15 May 2019

Having just posted a recent photo of a stone-curlew at Cotswold Wildlife Park, I was reminded that I'd forgotten to post this one of a bird which I was delighted to discover at a local (Buckinghamshire, UK) nature reserve a couple of months back.

I understand it's only the 20th record of a stone-curlew in the County since 1950, and the first for four years.

I was able to watch the bird foraging for over an hour (it was pre-dawn when I first spotted it in the mist); eventually it was mobbed by some nesting lapwings and flew to an adjacent field where it settled down for the day, becoming active again towards dusk. No sign of it the following day though.

I rarely have my camera gear with me when birdwatching, preferring to capture video via a smartphone attached to a spotting scope. So this is a frame-grab from an HD video file, hence the poor quality.

I think that's a pretty good shot of one of my favourite birds...Bucks is an unusual record for this species- being between the two main population centres( Wiltshire and East Anglia) so could have come from either. Maybe travelling to East Anglia?

@Pertinax Thanks Unfortunately I didn't see it arrive or depart, so I couldn't say which way it was heading. Great to see though - one of my favourite birds too.

Some shaky video (I was in a bush and couldn't plant my tripod legs properly) here:

Nice shot