WHIMBRELS. Every May a substantial percentage of the East Coast Whimbrel population takes off from the Eastern Shore of Virginia seaside saltmarshes and heads, nonstop, to their breeding grounds in Arctic Canada and Alaska, flying 5 days or so without rest.
I just asked Fletcher Smith, of the Center for Conservation Biology, when the best dates are. He said May 23-26, in the evening, is when they leave and that � �most years you probably have thousands flying over, but at night.� Their flight line takes them right over places such as Elliott Island, Rigby�s Folly, and on up the Bay, slanting NW or NNW.
Once 595, in 2 flocks, went over out place just after sunset on May 25, 1990, when Liz and I saw (and heard) them. The few other times I have seen this, in smaller numbers, were in this May 23-26 time frame and late in the day. It was this time of year, not too long ago, when West Virginia got its first ever Whimbrels.
Before their drastic population decline 41,623 were found during an aerial survey of the Virginia barrier islands areas on May 9, 1995. There they bulk up on fiddler crabs for their heroic migration north, increasing their body weight 25% or more.
After today the weather forecast is adverse with strong NW winds for several days. I�d guess today might be their big day or perhaps Sunday or Monday. The big lift off is sometimes seen from the saltmarshes out from Box Tree Road just east of Machipongo, Virginia. Best to all. � Harry Armistead, Philadelphia.
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