Today I was able to meet up with old friends from Cabranosa - Danny, Steve and John, who were there mainly to get the Sociable Lapwing under their belts. Water levels have dropped since my last visit and I was relieved to see the Sociable Lapwing out on the mud, and not hidden in the reed beds where it has spent much of its time. It was feeding in a relaxed manner and the Marsh Harriers, a male and a female only yards away at times, didn't put it off at all. It was while we were watching the Lapwing, that John and I kept looking back at a wader which appeared at first sight, to be a young Redshank apart from its extremely bright yellow legs! Closer inspection revealed other features - it appeared slimmer, if not slightly smaller and having a more delicate and erect posture. I was starting to think Lesser Yellowlegs and a check on Collins Bird Guide App ruled out the possibility of a Greater Yellowlegs. Further observation showed the legs to be longer, the bill, straight and dark and the white spotting on the plumage was giving the correct markings. Some of my images show the wingtips to be longer than the tail length which is diagnostic. I concluded that it was a juvenile/winter Lesser Yellowlegs. Quite unprecedented that a Siberian vagrant (Sociable Lapwing) was sharing the same mudbank as a North American, the Lesser Yellowlegs - both of which should be wintering in Africa. Lastly, I refound a Richard's Pipit for my friends in the field near the access road.
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