HiHo to all you shorebird fans and Whimbrelites in particular. I'm afraid I misled you all yesterday by making it sound like there was going to be a big day for Whimbrels. It sure wasn't but something else really neat happened. As the dozens of folks out on the Whimbrel Point this morning were in the midst of their special mission today - the dedication of a brand new park bench to Fred Bodsworth .....(http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/09/21/obituary_fred_bodsworth_author_of_last_of_the_curlews_93.html) ...three whimbrels did a flypast right over our heads! I know its important to be a little drier than I am tonight when doing these reports and I know that chance is just that but darn it, Ma Nature pulled off a real class act today. Apart from these three Whimbrels there were no more all day. Where did the other 1,545 birds that Fletcher, our Main Man in Virginia was sending us, get to? Does anybody in the rapidly growing Citizen Science community have any ideas of how to solve a mystery like that? Get in touch please and I'll be home in bed! In addition we saw other shorebirds pass through but not linger - 16 Blackbellied Plovers, 1 Ruddy Turnstone and a Dunlin - all flying together. ("Hey, slow down all you big guys...") So far the total since May 19th is 861 Whimbies for our Whimbrel Point viewers but I think tomorrow's action may add to that total considerably. Its going to be a beautiful day. See you there. Colonel Sam Smith Park, the famous venue for all sorts of birding, yachting, biking, picknicking, watersports, viewing the berry trees in blossom and oh yes, dog-walking is located at the southernmost end of Kipling Avenue in Etobicoke, Toronto, Ontario. Tim Mccarthy _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide
