On a visit to Glover Pond last week I found this Greater Yellowlegs resting on a rock surrounded by relatively clear, still water which I thought made a nice setting for the bird (even though the rock also provided some compositional challenges).
1/2500, f/8, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
In the beginning it had its back to me and it was so unconcerned by my presence that it rarely even looked my way. This is one of the few times it gave me eye contact early on (I spent 12 full minutes with the bird).
1/2500, f/8, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
But eventually it stood up slowly and gave me an interesting leg stretch. A bit more of a head turn would have been nice but I liked the reflection. (this image is very nearly full-frame so I didn’t have as much room on the sides to work with as I would have preferred).
1/2500, f/8, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, toe-tip reflection cloned out at bottom, not baited, set up or called in
Then it lowered its left wing with the right foot and leg still extended. This seemed in preparation for…
1/2500, f/8, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
the vertical wing stretch that followed.
1/2500, f/8, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Then the bird turned on the rock..
1/2500, f/8, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
and left the stage.
These birds have already finished breeding in central Canada and southern Alaska and are passing through on their way south to their wintering grounds. Their migration is prolonged and they will pass through our area through early winter. For much of the early twentieth century Greater Yellowlegs were considered to be a fine game bird and they were hunted regularly though many of them were shot by exasperated hunters simply because they tired of listening to their piercing, annoying and extended alarm calls in the field.
That call can be heard here if you also wish to be “annoyed” (scroll down to the two “alarm calls at bottom”.
Ron
Rifgt on, Ellie Bsby! “Recreational” killing…how sick can one get….
Sensational shots Ron, thanks for sharing!
Charlotte
Bird yoga at its finest. 😀
Serene and beautiful.
My bad-tempered self would like to see recreational hunters dispensed with – their behaviour exasperates me so surely that is fair. Turn and turn about.
A lovely, serene series…nice!!!
A beautiful series of photos. I suppose that call could be irritating if it goes on for long periods of time, but it does not seem to me to be that different from listening to Kestrel parents when their babies are getting close to fledging (apparently the pair that nested in the neighbor’s palm tree last year is nesting again this year, but much later than before – last year the babies fledged in early June, but this year they are just now apparently close to fledging). The Kestrels can be heard above the noise of a power lawnmower…
Hi Ron,
Very nice images of one of my favorite birds. The setting was perfect, and I especially like the first picture since I rarely see these birds sitting down. “Yellowlegs Yoga”?
Cheers,
Dick
oh my goodness, the yellow on those legs really is astonishing … beautiful birdie … beautiful capture!!
I love this series of photos. It’s alarming to think people would kill just because they find something “annoying”. Thank you for sharing.
It is sad to know that someone can kill a bird only because he is exasperated or annoyed by its distress calls. I guess some folks never left prehistorical ages.
Thanks for the photos. Beautiful bird.