: late Apr-early Jun and late Jul-late Sep with a peak late Aug-early Sep and from early Jul to mid Oct. Migration occurs mostly with Schoodic Point probably the best mainland lookout. The whale watch boats that visit Mount Desert Rock and/or pass by the Duck Islands especially in late Aug-early Sep have a slim chance of encountering a migrant.
There is a single record of a Eurasian subspecies, N.p.phaeopus, a bird photographed in flight Jun 2, 2019 on Long Island showing the diagnostic pale tail and white blaze up the back.
Miscellany: Like most of the strong flying shorebirds, Whimbrels move past us swiftly, mostly on or outside a line connecting the outermost points and islands. The species is casual at best in spring as most of the eastern breeding population heads directly and often nonstop from staging areas in the mid Atlantic states to Hudson Bay. In the fall, this same population moves east to coastal Newfoundland and Labrador to feed on abundant early fall tundra berries before moving down the Atlantic Coast or, in the case of presumed adults, non-stop over the Atlantic to northern South America.
Last Updated: June 6th, 2022