The Whimbrel has arrived although not bringing with it the long awaited summer. We have had snow and hail in the last few days but hopefully that will not affect our newly arrived summer birds. The Whimbrel is  a long distance migrator and the winter grounds of the Icelandic Whimbrel are west of the Sahara in West Africa. The Whimbrels’ breeding grounds are in the Arctic, across America and Eurasia.

The Whimbrel usually arrives in Iceland in the beginning of May but this spring some had already arrived by the end of April. They are common in lowlands and in the breeding time the males try to catch the attention of the females by flying in circles, giving their loud, rolling twitter song. The Whimbrel is one of the migrants that has a place in the heart of every Icelander.