Shorebirds, Chincoteague NWR

Let me preface this post by saying, "Identifying shorebirds is not as easy as it sounds." There are Dunlins, Sandpipers, Godwits, Sanderlins, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, etc. etc. etc. OMG! So in an effort not to drive myself completely mad, I'm sticking with the 'shorebirds' heading before I take the plunge and tell you what species I 'think' these two lovely little birds are.

Spending time on Chinocoteague National Wildlife Refuge this Summer photographing the multitude of large wading birds was such a great time, in spite of the heat wave. As I drove the main route through the refuge, I would get close to the beaches and in turn the shallow waters where the smaller shorebirds were wading about poking their bills in the water. I snapped several images not really making much of an effort. They were pretty far out in the shallow water so I didn't expect to be able to crop any of the images and use them. However, there were a few that I felt were good enough to post. Keep in mind this image is heavily cropped. Now back to identifying these birds, I believe these are Lesser Yellowlegs as is evidenced by their yellow legs and feet and their long bills. There are Greater Yellowlegs that look similar, but their bills are longer and minutely turned up at the tip. Of all of the information I read about shorebirds and how to identify them, these were the main features that stuck with me regarding these two species. Regardless of whether my I.D. is correct or not, I love these little guys and their speckled bodies and especially their long snouts. Hope you are having a great weekend. It's still chilly here, but a warm up is coming. ENJOY!


PHOTOGRAPHER'S NOTE: I had a very scary header planned for Halloween week, but opted for a less scary one. I hope you like it.