Foraging Lesser Yellowlegs – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1250, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
Monday morning I was delighted to find and photograph a couple of Lesser Yellowlegs foraging and moving around a pond covered in duckweed at Farmington Bay WMA. Lesser Yellowlegs pass through northern Utah on migration. They aren’t as abundant here as their larger lookalike, the Greater Yellowlegs.
Lesser Yellowlegs on migration – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 640, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I’ve taken photos of Lesser Yellowlegs before but I wasn’t satisfied with the quality of the images. I took hundreds of images of the ones I saw at Farmington Bay the other day and I was pleased with the resulting photos.
Lesser Yellowlegs in duckweeds and water – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 640, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
It was hard deciding which images to share of these yellowlegs so I picked just these six for now because of the poses and light.
The water level of the pond these shorebirds were photographed in has lowered since the last time I was at the WMA and there was lots of duckweed on the surface.
Lesser Yellowlegs and reflection – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1250, ISO 640, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
This photo may look as if the Lesser Yellowlegs is gazing at its own reflection. It is far more likely that the shorebird was simply looking for food under the surface of the water.
Alarmed Lesser Yellowlegs – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 640, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
When a squawking gull flew in close to this Lesser Yellowlegs the much smaller shorebird appeared to be alarmed enough to lift off. As soon as the gull flew past the yellowlegs settled back down and continued to forage for breakfast.
Lesser Yellowlegs on a mudflat – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1250, ISO 640, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I was thrilled to take these photos of the Lesser Yellowlegs and hope to see more of them before they finish migrating through the state. I will be sharing other images of them in the future.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Lesser Yellowlegs photos plus facts and information about this species.
Intriguing shots. Wonderful detail and nuanced colors. Thanks Mia.
Delightful. Though the bird has a much better reason for admiring its reflection than many people who undoubtedly are.
Very nice Mia .. thanks for sharing!!
Mia, you have taken some nice shots of the Lesser Yellowlegs. Thank you. Trudy