 |
| This study of the Eskimo curlew is by acclaimed Scottish artist Archibald Thorburn |
The Eskimo curlew was once one of the most numerous shorebirds in tundra habitats of western Arctic Canada and Alaska. But persecution - notably shooting - resulted in its population plummeting in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Since then, there has not been a reliable sighting since 1987, nor a confirmed sighting since 1963. The species is thus now assumed to be extinct. Below is an extract from The Auk (October 1906), an American ornithological journal, of an unusual record of a bird coming board a ship.
An Eskimo curlew captured at sea
It may be of interest to note that when the SS Baltic was about half way between Ireland and Newfoundland, on May 26, 1906, an Eskimo curlew came on board between 2pm and 3pm.
It gave evidence, which was noticed by at least one other passenger, of having eaten within a few hours.
Being evidently fatigued, it was finally caught by one of the steerage passengers, and confined to a cage roughly made from a soap box.
It was fed on chopped beef and chicken and ate heartily, but died a short time before we reached the Sandy Hook lightship - possibly from too much food and too little exercise.
This curlew finds its way to the British Isles with sufficient frequency to be mentioned in the English handbooks as an occasional visitor.
Robert Barbour
Montclair
New Jersey
No comments:
Post a Comment