Whimbrels on the move

wadertales

You may hear the distinctive seven-note call of a Whimbrel overhead in late April or May but where is it going and where has it been?

Many pairs of Whimbrel nest in the flood-plains of Iceland’s rivers (Tómas Gunnarsson)

In a new paper in Wader Study, Tómas Gunnarsson and Guðmundur Guðmundsson have analysed the ringing recoveries of Icelandic Whimbrel and demonstrated that many probably make non-stop flights from Iceland to western Africa.  The study also helps to explain the timing and origins of flocks of Whimbrel in different parts of the British Isles in spring and late summer.

Migration and non-breeding distribution of Icelandic Whimbrels Numenius phaeopus islandicus as revealed by ringing recoveries: Tómas Grétar Gunnarsson and Guðmundur A. Guðmundsson.  The full paper is available to subscribers to Wader Study but a summary is available here.

Whimbrels in Iceland

It is estimated that 250,000 pairs of Whimbrel  breed…

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