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Willet (Tringa semipalmata)
Above and below: A comparison of Eastern and Western Willet on the Assateague Island ORV/OSV zone, Maryland (7/18-19/2009). Westerns are generally larger, grayer, longer-legged, and thinner-billed than Easterns. In spending more time staring at these birds, Westerns definitely look more godwit-like than Easterns. The image above really highlights the differences - click it for a higher-resolution version. Which (sub)species is shown in each image below?
(Above: All Willet above appear to be Western except the left bird in top photo, the single bird in the third photo, and the far right Willet in the photo above.)
Eastern and Western Willet
Below: A breeding plumage Eastern Willet resists the incoming tide while foraging (Delaware Bay, 5/20/2006).
Below: Photographed in southern Florida in February 2005.
Below: Western Willet photographed in southern California in May 2004.
Below: An Eastern Willet on Assateague Island, Maryland in summer of 2004 - with Sanderling (middle) and Ruddy Turnstone.
Below: A Western Willet on the beach at Sandy Point SP, Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (5/18/2008). This is a rare sighting here, particularly in the spring.
Below: A Willet in flight at Rumbly Point, Somerset Co., Maryland (7/20/2008).
Below: An Eastern Willet at sunset in Dorchester Co., Maryland (5/8/2010).
Below: An Eastern Willet surveys his domain from an unconvential perch in Ocean City, Maryland (5/11/2011). The perch is a lightpost in the Shantytown park-and-ride.
Below: A juvenile Western Willet on Assateague Island, Maryland (8/1/2009). This is my first time identifying this age/plumage in Maryland. The bird has very neat patterning on light buffy/gray upperparts, little contrast between scapulars and coverts, longer and more graceful shape (e.g., not flat-backed), and noticeable primary projection. According to The Shorebird Guide, juvenile Easterns have shorter (from photos almost no) primary projection. The bird was also the same size or even slightly larger than surrounding adult Westerns. Interestingly, the bill on this bird strikes me as much closer to Eastern Willet shape than I've seen on adult Westerns. To be safe, I'll retract my two Eastern Willets reported from Assateague today, as this detail surprised me.
Below: Comparisons of Eastern and Western Willet (sub)species on Assateague Island, Maryland (8/21/2011). Note the obvious difference in shape and overall height! By this date, Western Willet is the far more numerous Willet species in our area. That (sub)species is grayer, larger, and decidedly more godwit-like than Eastern.
Below: Western Willets at Bolsa Chica, California (10/6/2011).
Below: A Western Willet at Malibu Lagoon, California (9/30/2011).
