Migration Monday: North America is home to two subspecies of Willets – eastern and western. Eastern Willets breed in salt marshes along the East Coast, from Canada down to the Gulf of Mexico. The western group breeds in the continent’s Interior West. Despite their names, though, both types show up in east. Case in point: every fall, the marshes at The Wetlands Institute play host to a large flock of western Willets. In fact, within Cape May County, this is the best and most reliable place to find them. For several weeks, they use the salt pannes as both restaurant and refuge, resting and building up fat reserves to help them finish their migratory travels – once again illustrating the vital role our coastal salt marshes play in supporting wildlife, and the critical need to study, conserve, and restore them.
#wetlandsinstitute #stoneharbornj #middletownshipnj #MigrationMonday #saltlife #saltmarsh #conservation
