Lesser Yellowlegs Antics

This evening I stopped by the small pond at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary and was treated to a pair of Lesser Yellowlegs doing who knows what for nearly five minutes. It involved a lot of hopping around and chasing one another. I really enjoyed seeing this; the photos are distant and heavily cropped, but I really like them. Any thoughts on this behavior are certainly welcome…

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5 thoughts on “Lesser Yellowlegs Antics”

  1. “Nuthin goin’ on today, Les. Hey, what’re ya doin’?”
    “Feeling springy, Legs. Gonna see how high I can jump.”
    “Wow. Let me try!” (grunts & jumps as Less is coming down). “Man, I can’t get as high!”
    “Use more wing, Legs! Watch, I’ll do it again…”
    “I think I can, I think I can, I knew I could, I knew I could!”
    “Nice job!”
    (Rapping together) “Our legs our yellow, but they’re not jello, we strut the marsh, but we’re not harsh, you call us lesser, but we ain’t – no, sir! Boomff, da-doo-da-da-da, boompff. Tu-tu, tu-tu!”

    1. Oh Marianne that cracked me up. They are really sweet huh? You win most creative comment… Matt

  2. Matt,
    This behavior is often seen in young birds. They are playing, just like puppies or kittens. Practicing antics like displaying and defending territory, preparing for adulthood. I see it most often in Least Sandpipers (probably because I see more of them) Nice shots! John

    1. Thanks so much, John. I was up at Mt. Peter yesterday and had a discussion with the other counters and they had similar explanations. I like the idea of them playing, because that is really what it seemed like they were doing. Matt

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