Hello Whimbreleers and Whimbrelettes
Today at Whimbrel point I think we got the closing show. Only 218 birds were
seen leaving Virginia last night and we at Sam Smith actually saw more than
that today. From 5:45 am to 10:30 there were 323 birds in 5 different flocks
making the grand total since May 19th 1,964!
The flocks came through regularly from East to West as you would expect but I
had a funny feeling they weren't going straight through but were kipping in
somewhere that we couldn't see. I've got a few ideas where that might be but
I'm not telling. Every so often they would come and circle over us, each time
picking up more flock members. Then they'd all disappear for an hour or so. It
was kind of like yesterday; it looked like they were trying to land except
there were far too many of them to land at the Park. Finally, around 1:30 pm,
just after the sky cleared, the whole bunch of them we figured maybe 300 plus
birds, came back and did a flypast over our heads. They weren't in line or vee
like they usually fly but all over the place as far as we could see. Then they
went up so far in the sky they nearly vanished from sight and with a last
mighty "toodle-oo" they started pedalling for Hudson's Bay.
The last few days have been among the most memorable of my life and I'm glad to
see a lot of other folks feel the same way. Quite a few who visited the Point
and stayed to hear our Whimbrel stories did so because of these postings. I
hope like me, they will be haunted forever by the sights and sounds of these
wonderful beings.
Thanks today to Jean Iron, Wayne Renaud, Jan Doherty, Garth Riley, Sue Linn,
Lucie Kirchknopf, Dave Creelman, Ed Mcaskell, Terry Lewchyshyn, Kivik Kumar,
Bruce Wilkinson, Ron Harwood, special guest star Roy Allen and finally, Mark
who just stopped by a couple of days ago to see what we were doing and is now
an avid birder with his brand new second hand binoculars. I envy him the most
because the world for him has just become a most interesting place.
Thanks also to the more important visitors - 121 Dunlin, 24 Semipalmated
Sandpipers, 23 Blackbellied Plovers, 170 Whitewinged Scoters,7 Ruddy
turnstones, a Green Heron and a Horned grebe, and most amazingly 181 Common
Loons.
I'll be back tomorrow morning at 5:30 til noon at least looking for more high
class company. You would be most welcome.
Tim Mccarthy
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