Before Covid, I brought each of my TDSB groups to Col. Sam Smith Park during the week when the Whimbrels are most likely to pass by. This is around May 24.
This year, I made a point of being here during this time for 7 days between 6 and 8 am.
The number of Whimbrels I’ve seen this year?
ZERO! Better luck next year I guess.
Here are some photos that I took from the South Seas some years ago.
MYSTERY BIRD
I will identify it at the end of the post:
Other birds:
Some Col. Sam Smith Park Whimbrel photos taken by Ken Sproule:
MYSTERY BIRD
The slate-gray colour and black cap identify this as a Gray Catbird.
MYSTERY BIRD CORRECTION
Oops! Thank-you to readers who wrote to say that this is a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher not a female Orchard Oriole.
NATURE POETRY
You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, well, you just might find
You get what you need. – Rolling Stones song
Miles Hearn
Love that you included the Stones’ lament. Could be the anthem for frustrated bird seekers. 😉 Better Whimbrel-hunting next time!
I saw my very first whimbrels at Tommy Thompson Park yesterday (Mon) in one of the cells, cell 2, I think. Such improbably long bills!
Well, you certainly tried! Short of camping there 24/7 (and I’m sure you considered it!) what else could you have done? Thank you for the close-ups of the bird, and thank you too, Ken, for the great pictures you took. Now I know what they look like close up, and they certainly are very interesting-looking birds. Thanks, Miles and Ken!