We hop into the back of the farmer’s pick-up, scopes and all, and hitch a ride to our car. Then, we follow the rancher a couple of miles to his property. Opening the gate, he proudly ushers us onto the dirt track running through his green pasture.
“See…there are the curlews!” the rancher gestures expansively at the flock of Whimbrels.
Hurriedly, we set up the scope and scan the flock. Suddenly a bird flushes. It is half the size of the other Whimbrels and its delicate bill has a slight curvature.
THAT’S IT!
Karen and Robbie are beginning to say “That’s it! That’s the bird!” but I refuse to be talked into it that soon, while secretly admitting to myself that this DOES look like the bird Jon has just shown us pictures of in a British field guide.
Yes. It must be. A dainty little whimbrel with a slightly curved bill, nice barring and splotches down the side, a white eyebrow over a big dark eye.
Not twenty yards away this long-necked little shorebird from Siberia is marching around in the grass, and we three are the only birders who know its whereabouts!
I still can’t believe we have refound the Little Curlew, but there’s no time to waste. We must alert the others.
While Robbie watched the bird, Karen and I hopped into the car and raced to get all the other birders who were still staring into the field back at the corner of Black and Bettaravia.
Birders are not generally known for their quick coordination or fast running ability, but I’ve never seen so many excel at both when we shouted the news. Instantaneously, the long line of cars formed behind us, as we led them elatedly towards the most serendipitous Little Curlew ever to visit the North American continent!
The Little Curlew ended up staying for nearly a month, and people came from as far away as New Jersey to see this vagrant that breeds in Siberia and happened to migrate to Santa Maria rather than to Australia, its usual wintering grounds. Mr. Mahoney, the generous rancher, became famous as the guy who helped over 300 birders from 18 different states get a look at a Little Curlew.
Like all good birding yarns, this story has appeared in at least three versions, notably by Brad Schram in Birding, by Karen Bridgers in Birdwatcher’s Digest, and by Paul Lehman in American Birds.
But that was long ago……
However, in all the years since, only two other Little Curlews have been recorded in Santa Barbara County: a juvenile October 23-24, 1988, and an adult August 4-20, 1993—both seen in the Santa Maria area. And those two records could’ve been the same individual.
These represent only the fifth or sixth sightings of this species for North America.
