Willets on display

Willets have been very noisy in recent days and one bird -- presumably a male -- was on display this morning over the marsh. It was a fullout intense flight: a noisy fast fluttering display flight in which the bird seemed to slow up almost to the point of a stall. But he (I'm assuming it was a 'he') just kept on going following a circular path over the marsh and around again. On the third or fourth pass, another Willet joined him and the two continued the flight -- roughly in formation -- circling higher and eventually disappearing over the head of the marsh only to reappear all the way on the other side, coming over the town dock and the creek and then back up the marsh again. This went on for a while until one of the birds (or perhaps still another Willet) ended up perched on the half-dead Red Cedar that sits on the far side of the pond, eyeball to eyeball with a Red-winged Blackbird who seemed to think that the cedar was his designated perch. In the end, both left only to be replaced by a Song Sparrow who proceeded to announce his claim on the spot with a ringing Song Sparrow song.

But those Willets don't give up that easily. Even as I write this in the early afternoon, I can hear the ringing Willet cries. However their courtship and mating system actually works, it certainly does not take place under cover!

It was a morning of strenuous activity on the creek and over the marsh on the part of a number of species. A pair of Osprey circled high, calling loudly to each other and calling attention to themselves to the point that they were chased by Red-wings. Shouldn't Osprey already have eggs or young by now? This seems like a late nesting (or re-nesting?) attempt. 

The Purple Martins arrived much later than the Osprey and are only now getting into gear. They were noisy and active over the marsh this morning and, at one point, a female martin landed on an open area, poked a bit in the mud, appeared to walk (more walk than hop) forward to pick up a bit of reed which it then flew off with, presumably for her nest. Green Herons were calling from somewhere inside the woods; perhaps they will try to nest there again. Today's warblers were few: Magnolia, Blackpoll as well as the local Pine and Common Yellowthroats.

Eric Salzman