I hoping to get some info on the whimbrel and long billed curlew seen at wagon train lake this last week.
On the morning of the 18th, having been unsuccessful at finding the curlew seen in the previous couple of days, a group of godwits flew in. Flying back and forth across the lake. I spied one bird in that group with a drooping bill and i thought a more brown appearance. At this point i was already certain that bird was the curlew. I believe this was around 8:15-8:20 am.
The birds landed at the north end of the lake mud flat after another flyby. Another birder who had also been about to leave prior to the new group of large birds flying in, had a large scope set up at the west picnic area. After scoping the bird with the long down curved bill. He let me view through the scope. I still thought this bird was a long billed curlew but only very briefly looked through the scope. There were two other birders arriving and setting up scopes at this same time.
With the recent addition of a whimbrel posted from a checklist by Jenny Jo Johnson from that same time I am concerned that I have mis ID’d a whimbrel for a curlew. If that is the case, I am going to blame that on excitement and haste ( I was late to be back across Lincoln). Regardless I am hoping to hear back from the two birders who had arrived as I was leaving and hopefully spent more time on a ID of the bird in question. Thank you all,
