Numenius phaeopus

Look, a whimbrel! Oh, how I love him....

The whimbrel is a widespread species of curlew, a subset of sandpipers with long decurved bills. Among curlews, the whimbrel is one of the most widespread (it is found in the Americas, Europe, and Asia) and possesses a relatively shorter bill and very clearly delineated head striping.

I noticed this one and a few others mixed in with a group of some 70 Marbled Godwits, all feeding in pastureland on the outskirts of the coastal town of Arcata. I'm out here for the weekend again for some very (very) much needed r & r. Though I've spent over five years in this town over the course of my adult life, this season is the first that I've seen whimbrels, today being the second time. They seem to be migrating through in small numbers.

The lovely yellow flowers around him are buttercups.