HI Dave: my name Wayne Renaud and collecting high counts of Whimbrel
in the Great Lakes Basin and I have regarding an e.mail on E.birds for
22 May 2013:
"This morning between 0945 and 1015 at Port Bruce, we observed 3 flocks
of Whimbrel [8, 14 and 16 birds] totaling 38 individuals moving west
along the shoreline. The flocks of 14 and 16 circled over the beach
several times where 30 gulls were loafing but eventually moved on
without landing.
Later this morning at Port Stanley between 1100 and 1300h , Jim Dunn and
Mary Carnahan counted 500+ Whimbrels including a couple of flocks of
200+ individuals. The flocks wheeled around the harbour and over the
lake for about 1.5 hours and then the entire bunch landed on the west
breakwall.
Shorebird migration can be observed throughout the day. The largest ever
fall-out of Whimbrel [2000+] at Port Stanley was in the afternoon. We
have often gone down to Port Bruce in the evening over the years and
have observed just as many flocks of Whimbrel in the evening as in the
morning. Also, at this time of the year we have observed large flocks of
100s to 1000s of Long-tailed Ducks and smaller numbers of White-winged
and Surf Scoters as dusk sets in. There is no predicting whether any
given day will be better than the next. Some days are a bust. Plan on
spending a couple of days. Shorebird watching along the shoreline can be
good from now until the end of the first week of June. Over the years,
the best time to see Red Knots and other later migrants such as
White-rumped Sandpiper is in late May and early June."
Are the 2000 Whimbrels mentioned above seen in the afternoon of 22
May? Regards, Wayne Renaud
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