A Trio of Greater Yellowlegs next to a lagoon – Nikon D200, handheld, f11, 1/350, ISO 320, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light
I’ve been thinking a lot about shorebird migration this past week while the dreary weather has kept me out of the field and about the birds I am missing because of the weather. I have already seen Greater Yellowlegs at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge but haven’t been able to obtain the high quality images I would like primarily because they were a long way out and not up close. Still, it was good to see them out on the flats near puddles of rainwater.
When I photographed this trio of Great Yellowlegs in Florida I didn’t have to worry about how far away they were, in fact at times they moved too close to me as I laid in the wet sand at the edge of a tidal lagoon on the Gulf coast. It was a September morning and there must have been 20 to 25 yellowlegs in the area. Some of the yellowlegs were foraging in the wrack line but this trio seemed to just be enjoying the warmth of the rising sun.
With those bright yellowlegs it is easy to see how they got their common name.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Greater Yellowlegs photos plus facts and information about this species.
Nice image Mia. I was excited to see a pair of turkey vultures soar over our house
today before the strong winds began, but still haven’t seen a hummingbird.
I wonder why they’re called yellowlegs…. 🙂
Beautiful photo Mia.