Geoffrey Newell has fond childhood memories of going to the Victoria Golf Club with his father to see migrating flocks of whimbrels on the fairways.
“I still remember it,” the bird expert said Wednesday. “They look very impressive and unique with their long down-curved beaks, long legs and brown plumage with intricate markings.”
The large shorebirds, a species of curlew, spend their winters in California and Mexico and breed in Alaska in the Arctic tundra, said Newell. They show up in Victoria during their peak migration, which is generally mid-April to late May.
“Their migration window is very small, so we want to enjoy and celebrate them because they’re only here for a few weeks,” he said.
At 7 a.m. Wednesday, Newell arrived at the golf course and counted a large flock of 54 whimbrels.
Whimbrels love fields, he explained. They also love being along the waterfront. So the Victoria Golf Course provides the perfect habitat for them with fields beside the water.
They eat earthworms and insects, just like robins and starlings do, but they also feed on small animals in the water or on the beach, like sand crabs or sand fleas.
“They can go to the beaches or rocky islets where there are other sources of food for them. It provides a buffet for these whimbrels,” said Newell. “They’ll go for anything they can catch.”
The fall migration lasts from July to October and brings smaller numbers of the birds.
Whimbrels have a fascinating call, very high-pitched and strident, he said
“It’s a series of fast notes — qui qui qui qui qui qui — 15 notes in a row and they will often call when they’re flying. That’s how you know they’re in the area.”
The flock is at the golf course first thing in the morning and they tend to come back just before dusk, he said.
“Most of them stick around for a few weeks. They love the Victoria Golf Course. Along their migration route, it’s one of their favourite staging areas, one of their favourite spots.”
>>> To comment on this article, write a letter to the editor: [email protected]
