Willet Mini Original

$128.00

These larger grayish shorebirds aren’t particularly noticeable or flashy until they fly or sing. Their song is a loud “pill-will-willet!” and marks their arrival to spring breeding grounds. In flight, their wings show black with a thick white stripe across the middle. They are true grassland shorebirds, breeding in the Great Plains and interior of the Northwest, then migrating to coastal regions for the winter as far as South America. Some of these western birds migrate far to the east, occurring all along the Atlantic Coast in fall and winter.

Like nearly all shorebirds, they eat aquatic invertebrates, small fish, spiders, insects, worms, and some clams along the shores they inhabit. Willet pairs often remain together for several years and return to the same nest sites. Males loudly defend their nesting and feeding territories, and help incubate and care for young. 

Willets and other shorebirds were once a popular food. In his famous Birds of America accounts, John James Audubon wrote that Willet eggs were tasty and the young “grow rapidly, become fat and juicy, and by the time they are able to fly, afford excellent food.” By the early 1900s, Willets had almost vanished north of Virginia. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 banned market hunting and marked the start of the Willet’s comeback. The conversion of native grasslands and wetlands to agricultural use also led to declines. They remain on the Yellow Watch list with the threat of endangerment without conservation action. 

Original mixed media on raw stretched canvas with maple float frame. Alternative hardwood frames available upon request.

Sources: All About Birds and Audubon Society

Frame Details: Framed in hard maple
Framed Size: 9x9x2(inches)
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We offer hand made custom frames constructed from natural wood of your choice. Click on the photos below to open and preview the frame options.

All orders will be shipped in 3-10 business days via USPS Priority mail, UPS or FedEx, depending on the size of the item and whether framing was desired. For medium to larger works, and if crating is needed to safely ship, it will be UPS or FedEX. USPS can ship larger works but it is a lot more expensive!

If I anticipate framing will take longer for any reason, I will reach out and let you know! You will receive a tracking number via email once the work has shipped.

If you are in the Fargo-Moorhead area and wish to pick it up, please select STUDIOPICKUP at checkout. I will have a table in the front lobby with your piece labeled for pick-up between the hours of 8 AM and 5 PM. I will always try to say hello if I am in the studio!

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