Hello Whimbrel Fans
I really don't know what to
say. today was the most amazing day I have ever seen at Whimbrel Point or
anywhere else for that matter. The folks down at Machipongo, God bless 'em gave
us the heads-up first thing. 3000 Whimbrels leaving the marshes. Sounds pretty
encouraging , doesn't it? like maybe you might see a couple hundred
fly past the point? Our brothers and sisters were right. They said
get ready to stay out all day!
So out we trudged in our warm
clothes having been told it was going to get hot later but so what it was cold
at 6am and after all we are Canadian. As long as we saw some Whimbrels who
cares? I can't remember exactly when they started to come but I do remember
having to put my lunch down to record the first bunch of birds. When the next
bunch came and looked like they might land I went out as fast as I could and
put out the signs to keep the dog walkers off.
Then the flocks started.
and they were not too afraid to land. In fact, for the rest of the day we
practically had to beat 'em back with a stick.
Just listen to this. I'll have
the breakdown for you tomorrow but as of 6 pm when we were all out of the Park
we had seen 4,458 Whimbrels, some 500 or so which for some time landed at
Whimbrel Point,accompanied by dozens of BlackBellied Plovers and a few RuddyTurnstones and huge bunches of Dunlin.
We'll give you some breakdowns
tomorrow. Right now I'm still shaking.
And I have to go to bed.
GoodNight and GoodBirds,
Tim
A call to binoculars for all birders!
Its time once again for the annual Whimbrel migration. These marvelous
migrants give us a super show for a few days every spring. Almost the entire
Eastern population of Numenius Phaeopus passes right over our heads between May
19 or so, through May 31st, with the flights peaking almost always on the
morning of May 24th. As usual, we of the Toronto Ornithological Club will have
as many heads as possible at Whimbrel Point, Sam Smith Park, to witness and
record this spectacle of nature. In the past, the flocks numbering from a few
to hundreds of individuals could be counted on to pass over Sam Smith park at
Whimbrel Point, plus the stretch of Lake Ontario shoreline from Ashbridges' Bay
to Mimico. On May 24th especially, the day's tally often runs into the thousands
as these magnificent shorebirds pass in noisy flocks all the way from their
staging area in the Delmarva Marshes (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia - isn't that
cute) to the Southern shore of James Bay and beyond to their summer
breeding grounds. Although the Whimbrel's population status is listed as
"of special concern" we are fortunate to be able to see so many of
them.
Up until a few years ago Whimbrels almost always flew over Sam Smith Park
without stopping. Lately this behaviour for reasons we do not fully understand
has begun to change. Almost every day during the last half of may Whimbrels
have been observed landing and resting at many places along their migration
route. This means that instead of all passing over during the first early hours
of morning the flocks can now be seen at various times all throughout the day.
We urgently need observers to watch for Whimbrels at likely places along the
North shore of Lake Ontario from sunrise to evening especially if they have
been seen on the ground. In order to document this phenomenon and incorporate
it into our knowledge of Whimbrel migration we need as many Citizen Scientists
as we can get out there recording and reporting. Because you can bet your
bottom toonie that there are not enough professional observers to go around.
Your observations, if sent to Ontbirds email address : birdalert@ontbirds.ca
or to my email address: timmccarthy_5@hotmail.com will ensure that the event
will be recorded by the Toronto Ornithological Club and sent down to the the
Nature Conservancy in the U.S. Please take the time to count the number of
birds as best you can, include the time, date, location, and a rough
description of weather, and whether the birds were flying or resting.
Here's your chance to actually do something for the preservation of this
species. Don't just watch 'em fly around, this time lets get our observations
together and do something positive for the conservation of these magnificent
birds.
If you are interested in going the distance this year come out to Whimbrel
Point at the Southernmost tip of Col. Sam Smith Park any morning from May 19 to
May 31. As most folks who just want to see and hear these fabulous flocks just
show up during early morning prime time ,May 23 to May 26, snap off a few photos,
say gee-thanks and go home, we really need you to spend a bit more time helping
out. The flocks start at daybreak and may go off and on all day. 12 hours at
Whimbrel Point is a bit of a stretch for us, but we will manage it with or
without your help.
With your help it will be so much better. See you there.
For an idea of where to watch these birds other than Sam Smith Park look for
any relatively undisturbed spot along the North Shore of Lake Ontario and to a
lesser extent, the North Shore of Lake Erie, especially near the mouth of a
watercourse, with rocks along the shoreline. Daybreak is the best time but now
they go all day. Don't expect to see them in a heavy rain but watch both before
and after.
For reports on what is being seen please watch Ontbirds. I will report there
every day with Whimbrel results as well as all the other Shorebirds we see.
For further intriguing reading, see the articles on the TOC website by
superbirder (and photographer)Wayne Renaud -http://torontobirding.ca/site/page/view/projects.whimbrel
TOC - Page Site - Toronto Birds http://torontobirding.ca/site/page/view/projects.whimbrel>
Toronto Ornithological Club (TOC) is dedicated to the study of bird life in
Toronto.
Best Birds
Tim
Hello Whimbrel Fans
