For over a week an elusive pair of Whimbrels was foraging along our rocky shores. They were fattening up for the next leg of their journey. About half of the eastern population of Whimbrels is thought to stop next at Deveaux Bank in South Carolina. This special place was only discovered in 2019 when Felicia Sanders, a biologist working for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, happened to witness masses arriving after sunset. You can read more about Whimbrels at Deveaux Bank Here.

Like many, many shorebird species the world over, the Whimbrel population is in decline. More than 50 percent of the population has been lost in the past fifty years. Cape Ann’s many beaches, both public and the more undisturbed locales, offer refueling stations for these winged wonders. Our community is so very blessed to experience a window into their travels and is only made possible because we are providing safe places for the birds to rest and to forage.

Whimbrels are a member of the Curlew family of shorebirds. They are elegant  and large with long, decurved bills, perfect for probing deeply into the sand to extract invertebrates. This is only the third time I have seen Whimbrels on Cape Ann, all three during the autumn migration; once at Good Harbor and twice at Brace Cove.  The birds are returning from their breeding grounds in the subarctic and alpine tundra.

When I was visiting our daughter in Los Angeles this past winter we were delighted to see several Whimbrels foraging along the Central Coast.