At 4:30 pm I found 3 Willets with one Great Yellowlegs in the shallow
flooded field just nne of the flooded field where most of the
shorebird, Including the Glossy Ibis and Ruff, were found a few years
ago and single Willet yesterday. I ended up wading along the entire
western edge of the tree line to confirm the ID. Densely striped and
spotted body including sides and upper chest; gray legs; straight thick
dark gray bill. Hight-wise just a bit shorter than the Greater
Yellows. During the 10 minutes I scoped them they were flushed by a
Red-tailed hawk and flew in two circles and landed in approximately the
same spot allowing me to see the striking black and white wing pattern
and hear the 'pill will willet" call or some version of it. At this
location it would impossible to ID them from Briittania Road.
Directions:
Access Brittania Road from the north via the #401 from Winston
Churchill or Trafalgar Road; or from the south from the QEW via
Trafalgar Road. The wetland is just west of the express toll 407. I
would suggest parking on 8th Line just south of Brittania Road because
Brittania Road has very narrow shoulders and water-filled ditches on
both sides and hosts fast and heavy traffic. Wear rubber boots.
Wayne Renaud
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