Druridge Bay curlew

The birder reported the whimbrel to Tim Cleeves who, uncertain of the bird's identification, contacted a number of other birdwatchers from the Northumberland and Tyneside areas and asked them to come to Druridge to give an opinion.

Early postings from Phil Hansbro (based on a conversation with Brett Richards, who had been to see the bird) and from Ian Broadbent made a strong case for the identification as Slender-billed Curlew.

These two articles prompted letters from Chris Heard outlining reasons why he believed that the case for identification of the bird as a slender-billed curlew was not proven.

A letter to Birdwatch from Chris Heard outlined the same concerns, and pointed out also that Eurasian curlew can show spotted flank patterning and white underwings.

The editorial comment in Birding World (to which Brett Richards contributed), and Richards' letter in Birdwatch, responded to Chris Heard's concerns by making the following points: The bird was accepted as the first record of slender-billed curlew for Britain by the British Ornithologists Union Records Committee and this was announced in a joint BBRC/BOURC press release on 24 January 2002.

A first-winter curlew at Minsmere, Suffolk in October 2004, and an identification article by Andrea Corso (et al. 2014) re-opened the debate on the identity of the Druridge bird.

[2] This bird was described as being 25% smaller than Eurasian curlew with a slender bill tapering to a narrow point, with black spotting on its flanks, and unmarked white underwings.