Whimbrel Watch Fun

[Trillian Flummox]

Finally made it the Whimbrel Watch at Sam's yesterday! Apparently I picked a good day as we had lots of good birds, good views and good company. I thought I was getting there early at 5:45 am, but apparently not early enough - the biggest flights of the day happened before 5:30! That was ok though, I still tallied 39 Whimbrel, 1000+ Dunlin, 78 Black-bellied Plover, 16 Semi-plamated Sandpiper, and huge flocks of White-winged Scoter flying by. We had a real treat when some of the huge Dunlin flocks landed to rest for awhile on one of the points near the marina entrance and another smaller flock of Dunlin and Semi-palmated Sandpipers chose to sit right beside us on whimbrel point. Of course I couldn't resist sneaking off for a couple of hours of warbler watching too and was lucky enough to find a few good birds still lingering.

Overall a great 9 hours of birding! It was a little like going to a hawk watch, except you have a lot more sky to keep track of since the birds seem to come from many directions. It was also great to finally connect the names of so many ontario birders to their friendly faces! The watch continues to the end of this week so it's not too late for a visit, though I'm not sure exactly which is the last day.

-Kris Ito

Whimbrel Point by Kris Ito. Casual birder, inept photographer, on Flickr

[Dove12]

Big numbers of Whimbrels today at Sam's. Numerous landings, which is uncommon, including several right beside the point. Great excitement, views and pix for all! So nice out there, with many Dunlin, Black-bellied Plovers(3 leading a flock of Whimbrel for awhile just off the point) and Common Loons flying over.

[Dinusaur]

Somebody mentioned early in the morning is the peak period for them to flyby. Or do they appear at different times of the day? I was there around noon Friday and the again on Saturday between 8-11; no luck both days.

[Trillian Flummox]

You can get some good info about the Whimbrels and best viewing times if you read some of Tim McCarthy's recent posts on Ontbirds. Meanwhile, I can tell you what little I know. Generally the best time is usually first light (yes before sunrise) until 8ish, and then there can sometimes be some late groups between 3 and 5. Of course there are so many weather variables that these guides don't always apply. The birds leave the Virginia coast the evening prior and fly all night, taking an average of 11 hours to reach Toronto. If conditions are favorable for them (i.e. a tail wind), a lot will simply pass over toronto in the dark. If they run into head winds or bad weather, we may see them later in the day. If they're really exhausted as they apparently were today (wish I'd been there!), a few might stop for a rest on the point.

-kris