Sandpipers are once again bringing their fascinating frenzies back to our waters’ edges. Here you see what appears to be a trio of Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) resting in Great Cove, perhaps after a long flight.
They’re smaller versions of – you guessed it – Greater Yellowlegs, with slightly shorter and (sometimes) straighter beaks than their cousins. However, the two species are difficult to identify when they are not intermingled and I’m guessing at these because they appeared small.
The Lessers are also the “fewers” compared to the Greaters. The smaller versions are listed as a Species of Special Concern in Maine. They were hunted extensively in the 19th Century and served as popular tasty tidbits then. They apparently never recovered to their original numbers. Let’s hope a few keep coming back here. (Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on April 23, 2024.)