{"id":25089,"date":"2015-06-06T05:41:35","date_gmt":"2015-06-06T11:41:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=25089"},"modified":"2025-07-30T05:01:33","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T10:01:33","slug":"western-willets-on-antelope-island","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/06\/06\/western-willets-on-antelope-island\/","title":{"rendered":"Western Willets on Antelope Island"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WilletWillet perched high on a Greasewood – Nikon D810, f9, 1\/400, ISO 400, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

There are two subspecies of Willets in North America and during the breeding season in Utah the birds we see are the Western subspecies. When I lived in Florida I would see the Eastern subspecies during the breeding season and the Western subspecies during the winter.<\/p>\n

Two days ago I was able to photograph Willets in several locations on Antelope Island<\/span><\/a>. This one was perched high on a Greasewood and was keeping a watchful eye out because of a Coyote that had passed through the area earlier.<\/p>\n

\"WilletWillet on a rock being bugged – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/400, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

This Willet was being bugged by mosquitoes while I was being bugged too. I don’t recall ever seeing the mosquitoes as thick as they are this year on the island and they sure are annoying to people, beasts and birds. There is a blurry mosquito just in front of this Willet’s neck.<\/p>\n

\"WilletWillet wading through Cheatgrass – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/400, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

While the Eastern subspecies of Willet are always found in coastal areas both during breeding and nonbreeding season Western Willets are grassland and prairie breeders.<\/p>\n

This time of the year they may have tiny chicks walking in the grasses with them that are well camouflaged by the cryptic patterns of their plumage. The adults usually call loudly if you get near their chicks.<\/p>\n

This Willet didn’t have any chicks nearby. I have seen chicks already this year but they were hidden in the grasses.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Willet photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are two subspecies of Willets in North America and during the breeding season in Utah the birds we see are the Western subspecies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":151073,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[511,27,1022,26,308],"tags":[4004,4172,4038,1830,4104,4233,4921,992,3975,274,165,4168,11478,4047,4748],"class_list":["post-25089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-avian","category-davis-county-utah","category-utah","category-willets","tag-adult","tag-cheatgrass","tag-grasslands","tag-greasewood","tag-perched","tag-prairie","tag-rock","tag-sandpipers","tag-shorebird","tag-shorebirds-2","tag-spring","tag-tringa-semipalmata","tag-tringa-semipalmata-inornata","tag-willet","tag-willets"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/willet-greasewood-mia-mcpherson-8773.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-6wF","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6294,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/10\/07\/eastern-and-western-willets-in-breeding-plumage\/","url_meta":{"origin":25089,"position":0},"title":"Eastern And Western Willets In Breeding Plumage","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 7, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I've had the good fortune to photograph both the eastern and western Willets in breeding plumage, the eastern in Florida and the western in Utah and Montana.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Eastern Willet in breeding plumage, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/willet-eastern-breeding-mia-mcpherson-7007.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/willet-eastern-breeding-mia-mcpherson-7007.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/willet-eastern-breeding-mia-mcpherson-7007.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/willet-eastern-breeding-mia-mcpherson-7007.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":47534,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/07\/02\/no-willet-split-plus-other-nerdy-bird-news\/","url_meta":{"origin":25089,"position":1},"title":"No Willet Split Plus Other Nerdy Bird News","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Just because Willets weren't split this year doesn't mean they won't be split in the future, who knows what changes will be made a year from now.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State 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2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":21389,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/04\/06\/listening-for-willets\/","url_meta":{"origin":25089,"position":2},"title":"Listening For Willets","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 6, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I have often written how I long to hear the first Long-billed Curlew in the spring but I feel I should mention that I also anxiously await the first calls of migrating Willets too.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Western Willet in morning light, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/willet-western-mia-mcpherson-1931.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/willet-western-mia-mcpherson-1931.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/willet-western-mia-mcpherson-1931.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/willet-western-mia-mcpherson-1931.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":44515,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/01\/21\/possible-eastern-and-western-willet-split-in-2017\/","url_meta":{"origin":25089,"position":3},"title":"Possible Eastern and Western Willet Split in 2017","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The question regarding this proposal is... Willet happen?","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Eastern Willet in flight, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/willet-eastern-flying-gulf-mia-mcpherson-4377.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/willet-eastern-flying-gulf-mia-mcpherson-4377.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/willet-eastern-flying-gulf-mia-mcpherson-4377.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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2013","format":false,"excerpt":"There are two subspecies of Willets which Western and Eastern, here in Utah I only see the Western subspecies but in Florida I could see both during the course of a year.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Eastern Willet in flight, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/willet-eastern-flying-gulf-mia-mcpherson-4377.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/willet-eastern-flying-gulf-mia-mcpherson-4377.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/willet-eastern-flying-gulf-mia-mcpherson-4377.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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