Florida Wildlife; vol. 11, no. 12. May, 1958. Illustration by Wallace Hughes.

Internet Archive

Golden Reflections

“A graceful greater yellowlegs basks in the golden hues of its own reflection.” - Copilot

I saw this greater yellowlegs in Albany, Georgia about a year and a half ago.

As I've mentioned, I have a gallery of my favorite photos at: https://swede1952-photographs.pixels.com

Go there and take a look. Prints are for sale along with other doodads and I suppose it is kind of a business for me. But it's the kind of business where I don't care whether I sale anything or not. If you want something, by all means you are welcome to make a purchase. But I just want you to visit and maybe mark your favorites or leave a comment. Cheers 😄

Greater yellowlegs . . . Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Smyrna, Delaware . . . 6/30/23

The early bird gets the something.

BOTD: Greater Yellowlegs

Photo: Nicole Beaulac

"At ponds and tidal creeks, this trim and elegant wader draws attention to itself by bobbing its head and calling loudly when an observer approaches. In migration, the Greater Yellowlegs is common from coast to coast. Sometimes it may annoy the birder by spooking the other shorebirds with its alarm calls; usually it is a pleasure to watch as it feeds actively in the shallows, running about on trademark yellow legs."

- Audubon Field Guide

Greater Yellowlegs

Greater Yellowlegs

Parker Lake, BC (No. 3)

Fort Nelson, named in honour of the British naval hero Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, was established by the North West Trading Company in 1805 as a fur-trading post. Due to fires, floods and feuds, Fort Nelson is in its fifth location.

Fort Nelson Airport was a valuable asset for allied military forces in World War II, as it served as an airbase for the United States Air Force and for the Royal Canadian Air Force. Contrary to popular belief that the construction of the Alaska Highway commenced in Dawson Creek, Fort Nelson was the original Mile 0 on the Alaska Highway because of the existence of a previously constructed road from Fort St. John to Fort Nelson. The United States Army built perhaps the most notable historical artifact in the area, the Alaska Highway. Construction began in 1942 out of a firm belief that Alaska faced a significant threat of Japanese invasion. Initial highway construction was performed by over 11,000 U.S. soldiers. After approximately nine months, the highway was finally completed, making Fort Nelson a bustling service-centre along the road. After the Japanese surrender of 1945, the U.S. Army ceded the Canadian portion of the highway to the Canadian government, which it made accessible to the public in 1948.

Source: Wikipedia

Pretty excited to catch this greater yellowlegs on my birding loop today - another lifer for me!

Wading through the mud.

song sparrow, american wigeon + canada goose, greater yellowlegs, and red-breasted merganser

marine park, new york

Greater Yellowlegs

An extended dry spell has lowered the water level in local ponds affording shore birds access to the muddy borders for food. This Greater Yellowlegs landed in such a place to satisfy its hunger. A nearby Killdeer gives a reference for size.

Lesser of greater?

This is a greater yellowlegs (ringa melanoleuca). It's not that easy to tell the difference between the lesser and greater yellowlegs, but I think with a greater, but with the greater yellow legs, the beak is a bit longer in proportion to its head. It's very likely that I've previously misidentified Greater yellowlegs as Lessers.

"Often referred to as a “marshpiper” for its habit of wading in deeper water than other sandpipers, the Greater Yellowlegs is heftier and longer billed than its lookalike, the Lesser Yellowlegs. Greater Yellowlegs are seen mostly during migration, as they pass between nesting grounds in the mosquito-ridden bogs of boreal Canada and wintering territories on marshes across the southern tier of the United States. With its flashy yellow legs, sturdy bill, and deliberate gait, it cuts a dashing, often solitary, figure on mudflats from coast to coast." - allaboutbirds.org

@birdcounter

Greater yellowlegs . . .  Trap Pond State Park, Laurel, Delaware . . . 9/5/22

Another new find for me is the Greater Yellowlegs.

You also get the alternate take where it looks like it’s meditating because I couldn’t decide between the two.

Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)

© Sammyboy77