Seward, Alaska
How timely! Today, I happened upon a pair of GREATER YELLOWLEGS madly feeding in a small intertidal stream by Afognak Beach. Initially, they were poised to flee, but decided “What the heck, the fishing is great!” And so, they stayed but kept an eye on me.
Even without a Lesser Yellowlegs for comparison, they looked huge. Their bills are much longer than the length of their heads, and are thicker, with a thicker and grayer base. The bill point is blunt, not needle-like. The streaking is prominent and darker, and the body contours bulged. Their backs are star-spangled with white spots and dots, and the long legs are brilliant yellow-gold. Very impressive shorebirds! It was so opportune to see them after just pondering about the Lesser ID.
I did not observe swipe-feeding. Splashing and dashing about, they ran after small fish and often plunged up to their eyeballs to catch them and gobble them down. I only caught a glimpse, but some looked like baby flatfish, likely flounders. The water was mostly clear, so visibility was excellent. I however, would starve as the tiny fish zipped away, wriggled down into the scant silt, and quickly disappeared when I walked slowly past.
I left them enjoying the chase and success on a beautiful sunny morning at the beach.
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
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