I had seen a lot of curlews here on Kefalonia, until I looked more closely at my photos and, thanks to the bible (Collins bird guide, second edition), realised that the bird I thought was a curlew was in fact a whimbrel. This is an elegant bird and I never tire of photographing it. To distinguish this bird from the curlew, you need to study its head. It has a much shorter bill than the curlew, with a dark eye stripe and a pale stripe on its crown. Its legs are grey, but for me the best thing about this bird is its wonderful plumage, an exquisite pattern of fine streaks, bars and spots.