Center for Conservation Biology

In spring 2008, The Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary and The Nature Conservancy in Virginia successfully used a state of the art, 9.5 gram, satellite transmitter to track a whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) from Virginia to the MacKenzie River near Alaska. This event documented an unknown and entirely unexpected migration route between the mid-Atlantic coast and the northwestern Arctic. The whimbrel, named Winnie, completed this apparent nonstop flight of more than 5,000 km (3,200 miles) in 146 hours. This discovery sets a new distance record in the flight range of this species and highlights the hemispheric importance of the Delmarva Peninsula as a staging area for migratory shorebirds. The flight challenges some long-held assumptions and raises several new questions about whimbrel ecology.

In the fall of 2008, we deployed a transmitter on a Whimbrel (aka Willy) who staged in coastal Virginia before continuing migration to his wintering area. The bird took off over the open Atlantic in late August and stopped on the Carribean island of Mayaguana. He waited there for 3 weeks while 4 hurricanes and tropical storms moved through the region. Finally when there was a break in the storms in late September, he continued migration to his wintering area in coastal Guyana. This migration from Virginia totalled 2,900 miles.

In addition to our 2008 marathon fliers, we tagged 5 whimbrel in spring 2009. These whimbrel migrated from Virginia to known breeding grounds for both the Eastern population (James and Hudson Bays in Canada) and the Western population ( McKenzie River Delta in Alaska and Canada). See tracking maps for Boxer, Fowler, Elki, Hope, and Indi.

In fall 2009, we deployed an additional 4 transmitters to follow the Whimbrel south on their migration to Central and South America. See maps for Machi, Pongo, Webb, and Kitt.

Names for the 2009 Whimbrel were chosen from local landmarks where Whimbrel congregate on the Eastern Shore of Virginia (Box Tree, Fowling Point, Elkins Marsh, Hope Creek, Indian Creek, town of Machipongo, Webb Island, and Kitt Creek).