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This evening (Monday, 14 August), Richard Crossley and I found a "Eurasian" Whimbrel at Stone Harbor Point, Cape May County, at high tide. This is the "white-rumped" form of Whimbrel from the Old World. The bird was with a large concentration of 82 Whimbrel, numbers of which built up during the evening as the tide rose more and more. I suspect the numbers were particularly high there as the tides are quite high now (Tuesday is the new moon), and some Whimbrel were likely totally forced out of the nearby marshes. Tuesday's high tide is around 9AM and 9PM.
In addition to showing the white rump and short wedge up the lower back, this bird shows a much lighter underwing, is about the smallest Whimbrel of the bunch, has duller pale head-striping, is colder and darker colored overall, is especially dark on the breast, has much bolder/coarser dark markings on the upper belly and more distinct dark bars on the sides of the flanks, a more contrasting whitish lower vent, and slightly more distinct tail barring.
Other birds seen at Stone Harbor Point--accessed from the parking lot at the south end of 2nd Ave at the south end of Stone Harbor, from which one then makes the short walk south down the sandy track to the base of the point--included a one-year-old Lesser Black-backed Gull, a couple Brown Pelicans, 2 early Dunlin, numbers of Caspian and Royal Terns, many Western Sandpiprs and Red Knots, etc.
Brigantine NWR has "suffered" from higher water levels due to all the rain, and there are far fewer shorebirds there the past couple days.
--Paul Lehman