After successfully tracking down one of the California Gulls that has been hanging out at Winthrop Harbor (just south of the WI line) on Friday, I headed north along the lake checking beaches. I managed to bump into my second lakefront Willet of the year (the other being a mid-May bird on Bradford Beach in Milwaukee). It's a tad on the early side for large shorebirds to be going south, so I was pleasantly surprised to find this bird. I was even more impressed at how cooperative it was, allowing fairly close approach and staying very still. The harsh mid-afternoon light and heat waves were the main things I had to cope with. Below are a few of my favorite shots of the 40 or so I managed before it was flushed by a couple other people and flew further up the beach.
After successfully tracking down one of the California Gulls that has been hanging out at Winthrop Harbor (just south of the WI line) on Friday, I headed north along the lake checking beaches. I managed to bump into my second lakefront Willet of the year (the other being a mid-May bird on Bradford Beach in Milwaukee). It's a tad on the early side for large shorebirds to be going south, so I was pleasantly surprised to find this bird. I was even more impressed at how cooperative it was, allowing fairly close approach and staying very still. The harsh mid-afternoon light and heat waves were the main things I had to cope with. Below are a few of my favorite shots of the 40 or so I managed before it was flushed by a couple other people and flew further up the beach.
