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<\/p>\nPlus a bit of a behavioral mystery.<\/p>\n
Sagebrush is so strongly associated with western deserts that it may seem incongruous for folks in wetter parts of the continent to think of it as an integral component of the habitat of shorebirds\u00a0such as\u00a0Willets. But in some areas of the west\u00a0such as\u00a0Antelope Island Willets nest on the ground in sagebrush habitats and to see them perched on top\u00a0of sage is an everyday occurrence during breeding season.<\/p>\n
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1\/4000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n I photographed this one five days ago on the island as it was perched on sage.\u00a0I wish\u00a0we could see its legs but they’re often hidden by those spiky twigs and leaves. From most places on the island it’s only a short flight to the shore of\u00a0the\u00a0Great Salt Lake or the causeway’s edge where they can often be seen feeding in\u00a0large numbers.<\/p>\n There’s a behavior associated with Willets perched on\u00a0elevated perches like sagebrush (or large rock outcroppings)\u00a0that I’ve often wondered about but have never been able to find a definite answer as to why they do it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n During breeding season they spend inordinate amounts of time perched very conspicuously on the sagebrush or rocks, seemingly for no purpose at least at first glance.\u00a0The only time I see them do anything “meaningful” while they’re perched is if another Willet flies by and then they begin calling out\u00a0to each other\u00a0very loudly and persistently just\u00a0as this bird is doing.\u00a0Sometimes I can’t see the other\u00a0Willet but I can nearly always hear it calling back in response. After the second\u00a0Willet has passed\u00a0out of the area\u00a0the calling stops.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/4000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n Moments later (after I had repositioned my pickup, thus the different background) it happened again. Here the\u00a0bird is watching the overhead\u00a0Willet as it\u00a0passes by and this bird never took its eye off the intruder until it was gone.<\/p>\n When I first started seeing them do this years ago I thought it might be a courtship behavior as birds “trolled” for potential mates but now I don’t think so. Willets are monogamous and often exhibit strong mate fidelity from year to\u00a0year and besides I usually see this behavior too late in the breeding season for them to be looking for mates.<\/p>\n Now it’s my suspicion that they’re defending nesting\u00a0territories from these elevated perches and the calling out of the perched Willet is a challenge to intruders, warning them to leave the area. But that’s something I haven’t been able to confirm –\u00a0even\u00a0Cornell’s Birds of\u00a0North America Online doesn’t describe the behavior or mention its purpose.<\/p>\n So for now it remains a bit of a\u00a0mystery, at least to me.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Plus a bit of a behavioral mystery.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/willet-9591-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"willet-9591-ron-dudley\\"")
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