Willet

1/3200s at f8.0, ISO:800, Canon Mark III 1Ds w/800mm, 1.4x converter


The Willet is a large shorebird in the sandpiper family. Two subspecies have very different breeding habitats and ranges. The Eastern Willet breeds in coastal salt marshes from Nova Scotia to Mexico and the Caribbean. It winters on the Atlantic coast of South America. The Western Willet breeds in freshwater prairie marshes in western North America. It winters on both coasts, from the Mid-Atlantic States south to at least Brazil on the Atlantic, and from Oregon south to Peru on the Pacific. Willets nest on the ground, usually in well-hidden locations in short grass, often in colonies. These birds forage on mudflats or in shallow water, probing or picking up food by sight. They mainly eat insects, crustaceans and marine worms, but also eat some plant material.
Pawnee National Grassland, Co
 
05/03/2010