Friday 27 September 2013

Willet or Won't It

Sept 26 2013 White Rock, B.C. Canada. Sunny
I had heard on vanbcbirds that a Willet, a member of the sandpiper family has taken up residence on the beach at White Rock opposite the large white painted rock from which the city takes its name. Silhouetted against the late morning sun, the bird wasn't too hard to find.
I first encountered a Willet on the shores of Last Mountain Lake in Saskatchewan (see picture below)


Willet (Catoptrohorus semipalmatus) Regina Beach, Saskatchewan.


The second Willet I photographed was being chased by an American Avocet at Chaplin Lake, the Willet had the audacity to get between it and its mate.
An American Avocet chases away a Willet
(Below) During my 2013 road trip I spotted what turned out to be a Willet feeding in a fallow field near Regina Beach, Saskatchewan. I finally followed it to a watering hole for cattle where it settled down beside its mate.
A pair of Willet close to their nest.

At White Rock I made my way down as the tide was about an hour from full flood. The bird was still feeding for about 10 minutes before it hunkered down for safety with a flock of Mew Gulls.
The White Rock Willet hangs close to a flock off similar sized Mew Gulls
as a form of security.

The intricate plumage of the Willet is accentuated by photographing the bird
with a long lens and side light.
Click here for More about the Willet

Good Birding 
John Gordon

1 comment:

  1. John, excellent shots! I particularly like the shore birds. I'm not very good at identifying them though!

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