08/04/18 – Orange County WHIMBREL!

~Wow! Whimbrel in the rain at Skinner Lane, 08/04/18.~

Last night and this morning I was having a feeling we might get a good bird in the county today. For some reason I was thinking it would happen at Turtle Bay, but instead it was at Skinner Lane, where I located a WHIMBREL in the rain around 7:30 this morning. I was super pumped; I put the word out and several birders were able to run for the bird. Rob Stone, John Haas, Karen Miller, Kathy Ashman, and Bruce Nott all saw the bird while I was still there; it was a lifer for both Kathy and Bruce. Clay Spencer reported the bird in the late morning as well. Whimbrel is a bird I have daydreamed of finding in our area for a while, and it is the 252nd bird on my Orange County life list.

~WHIMBREL at Skinner Lane, 08/01/18. Other shorebirds present include: approximately 40 Killdeer, 1 Least Sandpiper, 3 Semipalmated Sandpipers, and 1 Lesser Yellowlegs.~ 
~I, of course, ran around the area looking for more shorebirds but did not come up with much. Pine Island Turf Nursery had several Killdeer and a Spotted Sandpiper. Camel Farm had several Killdeer. Turtle Bay had 8 Least Sandpipers and 2 Semipalmated Sandpipers (as well as several Killdeer). This Killdeer was at PITN, 08/04/18.~ 

8 thoughts on “08/04/18 – Orange County WHIMBREL!”

  1. Great find Matt! Thanks so much for getting the word out! New county bird for me as well. The great streak of birding continues! John

    1. Glad you could run for it John, and yes the good birding continues. Now if the Spoonbill would set up camp in front of the Liberty Loop viewing platform…

    1. Oh that’s awesome Scotty. I’m glad that bird stuck around – most were saying it would likely be gone quickly. Matt

  2. OUTSTANDING find Matt. I got to see it about 5:30pm. It was my second in Orange County and the last one was seven years ago this month when, during the flooding of the black dirt area, Danny Messina and I had one come in and land off of Missionland Road. That bird stayed for only about three minutes and flew away, this guy had been most accommodating! THANKS! Now dream that a WOOD STORK comes in over the night!!!!

    1. I’m so glad you got to see the bird, Ken. I’ll be out this morning, eyes open for Wood Stork…

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