Monday, July 18, 2011

Willets at Pensacola Beach

This Willet that you see here is preparing for a storm. You can see that the surroundings are dark from clouds. The willet already has one foot up which is usually what sandpipers do when they rest. The second thing he will do is turn his head backwards with his bill pointing directly behind him. You can see him doing that in the second picture. It was when I saw that that I knew I needed to get out of there cause if they are preparing for a storm, I figured I should to. Willets are a very drab bird and don't have much to them color or pattern wise. But when they fly you can see a white sort of lightning bolt shaped pattern under their wings. Which helps with identification when in flight. I usually see them in groups but on this trip I did see some that were all by themselves feeding on the beach, ignoring the people.

John Mark Simmons

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