How To Miss a Whimbrel Friday 5-22-26

[Al Stokie]

Hello Bird People,

Today I managed to miss not one but 18 Whimbrels. Arrived at Waukegan
Beach at 6:35 am where I saw Nat C & Dan M who had already walked the
entire beach & had seen 11 Whimbrels flying by to the north. I stayed
until 8:15 but saw no more Whimbrels. Then to State Line Beach where
the only shorebird seen was one Killdeer. Then I saw on Discord that 7
Whimbrels had landed on Waukegan Beach at about 9 am about 45 min
after I left. I was starting the walk from Sand Pond to Lake Michigan
but gave up on that to return for the Whimbrels. Saw that the
Whimbrels were still present later from a Discord report from Keith M
who had seen the Whimbrels with Scott L. Arrived to find the beach
cleaning machine working the long beach all the way down to where
others had seen the Whimbrels so I knew they would be gone or had
moved on.
Then a birder was walking back & said that some Whimbrels were well to
the north on the way to Greenwood. Then Bob Erickson arrived & he
continued that walk toward Greenwood. But I had dragged my
wheelchair/walker as far as I could & had to settle for looking with
my scope. Bob returned later to say 5 Whimbrels were as far as you
could go at Greenwood & the beach but I could not see them with the
scope & definitely could not walk that far.

So I was 30 min late on the fly-by Whimbrels, left 45 min too early
for the 7 Whimbrels & could not make the walk to see the 5 Whimbrels.
In my long career as a chaser I have missed birds many times but this
was the 1st time I knew where the birds were but I could not get to
them.
It's tough getting old & being unable to do what it takes to find your target.

Al Stokie
In Lake County missing Whimbrels