Willets
July 14th, 2010
Outer Banks has a variety of sandpipers in migration and winter--32 of them on the official checklist--but as far as breeders, it has just one: the Willet. It's a medium-ish sandpiper, about the size of a grackle on stilts. I've been familiar with them since I was a girl, though I didn't know them by name until I became a birder. We often see them on evening walks down the beach. They stride back and forth at the edge of the surf, looking for tidbits.
1680x1050 wallpaper
Willets also forage in the shallows of the sound, where they can be hard to distinguish from other medium-sized sandpipers. (And yes, even in July, there are other sandpipers: for this class of birds, fall migration begins very early.) As soon as one takes flight, though, there's no doubt. The striking black-and-white banded wings are unique to this species.
July 14th, 2010
Outer Banks has a variety of sandpipers in migration and winter--32 of them on the official checklist--but as far as breeders, it has just one: the Willet. It's a medium-ish sandpiper, about the size of a grackle on stilts. I've been familiar with them since I was a girl, though I didn't know them by name until I became a birder. We often see them on evening walks down the beach. They stride back and forth at the edge of the surf, looking for tidbits.
1680x1050 wallpaper
Willets also forage in the shallows of the sound, where they can be hard to distinguish from other medium-sized sandpipers. (And yes, even in July, there are other sandpipers: for this class of birds, fall migration begins very early.) As soon as one takes flight, though, there's no doubt. The striking black-and-white banded wings are unique to this species.
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