{"id":4613,"date":"2012-03-11T05:40:19","date_gmt":"2012-03-11T12:40:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=4613"},"modified":"2024-11-03T10:16:59","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T16:16:59","slug":"oh-long-billed-curlew-when-will-i-hear-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/03\/11\/oh-long-billed-curlew-when-will-i-hear-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Oh Long-billed Curlew, When Will I Hear You?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A few days ago, I read that a Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus) had been spotted at Antelope Island State Park, and that got me excited. I\u2019ve waited to see them again since they left last fall, and I simply cannot wait to hear their mysterious and hauntingly beautiful call.<\/p>\n

\"Long-billedLong-billed Curlew in a tidal lagoon, Florida – Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1\/1000, ISO 250, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 310mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

When I still lived in Florida, I would see Long-billed Curlews in very different habitats than I do here in Utah. I found them on the sandy shorelines of the Gulf of Mexico, strolling around the Sea Oats in the dunes, foraging in tidal lagoons, and in Spartina marshes.<\/p>\n

They were lovely, graceful, and interesting birds to photograph. But they did not call. Not once did I hear them.<\/p>\n

\"Long-billedLong-billed Curlew in prairie grasses, Utah – Nikkor D200, f7.1, 1\/500, ISO 400, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

In both Utah and Montana, I see the birds most often in the grasses, on the shorelines of the freshwater marshes, lakes, and ponds, near Sagebrush on gentle slopes, and at the edges of the Great Salt Lake.<\/p>\n

On their breeding grounds here in Utah and in Montana, I do hear them call. It is a sound that, once I heard it, I knew I\u2019d never forget. Will I hear them today when I am out in the field?<\/p>\n

I sure hope so.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Long-billed Curlew photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n

Listen to the call of a Long-billed Curlew on this page<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A few days ago I read that a Long-billed Curlew had been spotted on Antelope Island State Park and that got me excited. I’ve waited to see them again since they left last fall and I simply can not wait to hear their mysterious and hauntingly beautiful call.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":135960,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[511,27,704,199],"tags":[4021,4083,5132,4808,4809,11978,4070,4038,173,4077,3970,4132,4133,3521,992,274,165,4140,3996],"class_list":["post-4613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-avian","category-fort-de-soto-county-park","category-long-billed-curlews","tag-bird-photography","tag-birding","tag-coastal","tag-curlew","tag-curlews","tag-desert-island","tag-female","tag-grasslands","tag-gulf-coast","tag-gulf-of-mexico","tag-hunting","tag-long-billed-curlew","tag-numenius-americanus","tag-sandpiper","tag-sandpipers","tag-shorebirds-2","tag-spring","tag-tidal-lagoon","tag-water"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/long-billed-curlew-lagoon-florida-mia-mcpherson-6949.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-1cp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14505,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/03\/05\/the-long-billed-curlews-are-winging-their-way-to-utah\/","url_meta":{"origin":4613,"position":0},"title":"Long-billed Curlews Are Winging Their Way To Utah","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 5, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Long-billed Curlews have begun to leave or have left their wintering grounds and should be winging their way to Utah and arriving here any day now.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Long-billed Curlew feeding in a lagoon at Fort De Soto County Park in Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/long-billed-curlew-feeding-mia-mcpherson-6047.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/long-billed-curlew-feeding-mia-mcpherson-6047.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/long-billed-curlew-feeding-mia-mcpherson-6047.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/long-billed-curlew-feeding-mia-mcpherson-6047.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":45294,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/03\/02\/listening-for-long-billed-curlews\/","url_meta":{"origin":4613,"position":1},"title":"Listening For Long-billed Curlews","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The first of March always makes me think of and listen for Long-billed Curlews, our largest shorebird of North America.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Long-billed Curlew in spring grasses, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/long-billed-curlew-grasses-mia-mcpherson-0324.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/long-billed-curlew-grasses-mia-mcpherson-0324.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/long-billed-curlew-grasses-mia-mcpherson-0324.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/long-billed-curlew-grasses-mia-mcpherson-0324.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9637,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/09\/28\/a-female-long-billed-curlew-in-a-florida-lagoon\/","url_meta":{"origin":4613,"position":2},"title":"Female Long-billed Curlew in a Florida lagoon","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 28, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"It has been another very long week so I thought I'd post a female Long-billed Curlew because of her very long bill but unlike the way my week went this curlew is graceful, elegant and serene.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Female Long-billed Curlew in Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/long-billed-curlew-female-florida-6926.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/long-billed-curlew-female-florida-6926.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/long-billed-curlew-female-florida-6926.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/long-billed-curlew-female-florida-6926.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":51346,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/03\/22\/long-billed-curlews-shorebirds-of-the-great-basin\/","url_meta":{"origin":4613,"position":3},"title":"Long-billed Curlews – Shorebirds of the Great Basin","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 22, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"It was one year ago today that I saw and heard my first Long-billed Curlews of the year and this morning as I sit here knowing there are cloudy skies outside I am wondering if the curlews have returned to northern Utah today as well.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Long-billed Curlew in the grasses on Antelope Island, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/long-billed-curlew-male-grasses-mia-mcpherson-0604.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/long-billed-curlew-male-grasses-mia-mcpherson-0604.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/long-billed-curlew-male-grasses-mia-mcpherson-0604.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/long-billed-curlew-male-grasses-mia-mcpherson-0604.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":70263,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/05\/27\/sunrise-with-a-long-billed-curlew-in-a-florida-lagoon\/","url_meta":{"origin":4613,"position":4},"title":"Sunrise with a Long-billed Curlew In A Florida Lagoon","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 27, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I will say that my favorite and most memorable times photographing Long-billed Curlews happened while I was still living in Florida well away from their breeding grounds.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sunrise with a Long-billed Curlew, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, 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2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I've been enjoying seeing Long-billed Curlews for several weeks now in northern Utah. 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