![\"willet-3029\"](\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/willet-3029.jpg\" "\\"willet-3029\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nCanon 7D, 1\/4000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc<\/em><\/p>\n At first I wasn’t taking many photos of this Willet because its lower legs were cut off by the rock perch but I did adjust my settings for quick action in case it took off or\u00a0performed some other interesting behavior.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Canon 7D, 1\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc<\/em><\/p>\n The first indication I got that something might happen that would be interesting to photograph was when the bird pulled down its neck and there was a slight bulge in the throat.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Canon 7D, 1\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc<\/em><\/p>\n Then the Willet began trying to expel the pellet.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Canon 7D, 1\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc<\/em><\/p>\n What happens next appears to look almost like a gagging reflex.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Canon 7D, 1\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n The pellet popped out so quickly that I didn’t even see it through the viewfinder and didn’t know if a pellet had actually been expelled until I got home and looked at the images on a large screen.\u00a0\u00a0 Based on the dark color of the pellet I assume it to be made mostly of insect exoskeletons that these birds are eating on their nesting grounds higher up on Antelope Island and\u00a0relatively far from the shore of the Great Salt Lake.<\/p>\n I was surprised by how small this pellet was in relation to the size of the Willet and by how quickly and easily it was expelled – it only took a couple of seconds. \u00a0 I\u00a0once\u00a0photographed a\u00a0Northern Harrier struggling mightily to expel a very large \u00a0pellet for over 30 seconds and\u00a0it appeared to almost choke on the pellet before it\u00a0was finally expelled.\u00a0 That incident can be seen here.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Ron\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Yesterday I got a shot of a\u00a0Willet expelling a pellet.\u00a0 It’s a behavior I’ve seldom seen and rarely photographed\u00a0because it typically happens very quickly, many birds\u00a0 don’t do it at all and it often occurs only once per day or so with many species.\u00a0 A pellet, sometimes referred to as a bolus, is a clump of indigestible material that is formed in the crop and eventually regurgitated.\u00a0 Depending on the diet of the bird it may be made of feather, bone, fur and\/or chitin from insect or crustacean exoskeletons.\u00a0 \u00a0 Canon 7D, 1\/4000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc At first I wasn’t taking many photos of this Willet because its lower legs were cut off by the rock perch but I did adjust my settings for quick action in case it took off or\u00a0performed some other interesting behavior.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Canon 7D, 1\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc The first indication I got that something might happen that would be interesting to photograph was when the bird pulled down its neck and there was a slight bulge in the throat. \u00a0 \u00a0 Canon 7D, 1\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc Then the Willet began trying to expel the pellet.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Canon 7D, 1\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc What happens next appears to look almost like a gagging reflex. \u00a0 \u00a0 Canon 7D, 1\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc The pellet popped out so quickly that I didn’t even see it through the viewfinder…<\/p>\n<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n