Sunny, high 70s, calm
The strong winds of the last couple of days have abated and the surf has calm down considerably. A walk along the beach just after sunrise has produced a good number of shorebirds, although there are only 4 species present the morning….Snowy egret, Sanderling, Ruddy turnstone, and Willet.
As we are moving further and further into spring, there are some subtle changes occurring as we watch the shorebirds. The turnstones are becoming much more colorful as they molt into their more drab basic plumage into their more richly colored alternative plumage of the breeding season. The Sanderlings are a bit more reluctant to change as they have just begun to lose their pale winter plumage in place of the darker reddish=brown summer wear.
One change that has begun in earnest is the changing of the willet population. During the winter months, there are basically no Eastern willets (Tringa sempalmata semipalmata) in North America. They have all headed south for the winter. The population of willets that we do see most of the winter here on the Florida coastare actually the western subspecies, Tringa semipalmata inornata.
Now, however, as we move well into the spring months, the Eastern willets are slowly beginning to return. With a smaller stature, shorter stubbier and shorter bill, they can be distinguished from their western cousins only with a fair amount of scrutiny. I have tried to pick two photos which seem to show the main differences from the many that I shot this morning. It will be enjoyable to watch the changing of the guard from Westerns to Easterns as the year progresses.
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| Western willet |
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| Eastern willet |
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