Whimbrel on a floating mat of seaweedGulf Coast Whimbrel on a floating mat of seaweed

Among the shorebirds I enjoyed seeing and photographing while I lived in Florida were Whimbrels, I could see flocks of 25 or more during the winter along the coast. There had been rough waves the day before I photographed this Whimbrel which pushed floating mats of seaweed up close to the shore of the Gulf of Mexico, the Whimbrels were feeding on small crabs that were in the seaweed.

I know that Whimbrels do show up here in Utah during their migration north but I have yet to be able to get close enough to photograph them. Whimbrels breed in northern Arctic regions and can live up to 1 years. They are similar in appearance to Long-billed Curlews that I often photograph here and in Montana but bill length helps with ID.  The curve of their bills matches the curve of the burrows of Fiddler Crabs, their favorite prey item.

Mia

*I am going to be away from my computer a lot until Friday, please feel free to share this post with your friends and family.