"From the Pond"(added pics)

[jonny_redhorse]

The birds are heading north and they stop at this little lake each year to rest their little wings....I"think" this is a greater yellowlegs...the lesser has a shorter straighter bill according to my Sibleys...shore birds can sure be tough to ID...(digiscoped Nikon ED-50)

Mr.Mallard wondering the woods near the shoreline....

and my first wild flower showed itself this morning...a lone hepatica...must be the only other one besides the one Steve found earlier this week in Ely

last year's maple leaf seeing the sun once again after being froze beneath the ice for 5 months....

[Birdsong]

They are especially tough when their yellowlegs are completely in the water. I love your hepatica. How sweet. And I love all the id info I can pick up on this site. Thanks, Jonny.

[Borealhunter]

Johnny:

Great shots of the Gr Yellowlegs! One of the fine identification points to seperate this bird from the Lesser Yellowlegs is on photo 2. If you look at toward the tip of the bill of the Greater Yellowlegs on the underside the bill slightly turns upwards. On a Lesser Yellowlegs the bill is straight and does not show this. Of course the Greater Yellowlegs is larger IF you have a Lesser Yellowlegs near it for comparison. This ID is helpful if you see a Yellowlegs species alone and you are not sure if its a Lesser or a Greater. I do not think Sibley reports this in his book but its something I learned from other birders.

Mike

[panthrcat]

wow good info Mike!

Johnny your so lucky to have a spot where they come to rest,, nice opportunities for you there! I love the info Mike gave you on the greater and lesser,,

oh, I love the flower shot too!!

[jonny_redhorse]

Thanks all for your kind comments!...As you can tell I like shorebirds! ....there's so many kinds!...I have yet to "positively" ID a couple shorebirds that I photographed last year...I may have wrongly named them "sandpipers" which they kinda are but not a "forsure"....After looking at them again ,they could be "Lesser Yellowlegs or even a "Willet"...maybe Mike Hendrickson has a final thought on these 2 shorebirds ...

[finnbay]

Those in your second set are top notch! I'm also partial to ringnecks. Beautiful bird!

[Borealhunter]

The last two photos are Solitary Sandpipers which are found in back ponds in early spring and anytime during the fall season. They sound like Lesser Yellowlegs the large white eye ring seperates it from Spotted Sandpiper and overall size. Also the legs are greenish gray color and that itself seperates it from Lesser Yellowlegs. The photo with the two sandpipers, well the smaller one is a juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher and I am not sure of the larger bird because its so washed out in the sunlight. If I had to guess maybe a Gr. Yellowlegs.

[jonny_redhorse]

Thanks Mike!....I had absolutely no idea that one of those birds was a dowitcher...All these shorebirds are so similar....so tough to ID....

[Birdsong]

Jonny, no wonder you can post those wonderful sunrises and early morning photos--you are up at 3:45!!!!! In the morning! I didn't know there was a 3:45 in the morning. Nice additional photos. I love last year's maple leaf and the shorebirds. Some of us who need it can all learn our shorebirds right along with you.

[Raider4ever]

The last two photos are Solitary Sandpipers which are found in back ponds in early spring and anytime during the fall season. They sound like Lesser Yellowlegs the large white eye ring seperates it from Spotted Sandpiper and overall size. Also the legs are greenish gray color and that itself seperates it from Lesser Yellowlegs. The photo with the two sandpipers, well the smaller one is a juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher and I am not sure of the larger bird because its so washed out in the sunlight. If I had to guess maybe a Gr. Yellowlegs.

Hoy, is that you dawg?

Paul