📖 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Lesser Yellowlegs ~ Strathbeg 24/07/23

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Thursday 24th August 2023 🌤️18C ~ Wind S @ 5MPH ~ Today, I went to RSPB Loch of Strathbeg and coincidentally while on route a report of a juvenile Purple Heron sighting. As I was getting sorted in the car park, I ran into the people who had seen the bird fly into reeds from the Dunbar Hide. They were both from Lossiemouth and had come back to their cars to grab lunch. I decided to walk back to the hide with them and spent an enjoyable few hours watching, waiting and chatting.

Marsh Harrier from the Dunbar Hide.

Unfortunately, there was no sign of the heron again but a couple of Osprey's, (4) Common Crane and (2) Marsh Harriers passed the time. The guys had also photographed a juvenile Hobby along the fenceline earlier in the day, not that common a visitor in these parts and a great record for the site. Needless to say, it didn't show again!

Small Copper along the farm track at Strathbeg.

A walk back to check out Starnafin Pools prior to heading off home, recording my first Small Copper butterfly of the year before arriving at the bench. 

Highly cropped image of the Lesser Yellowlegs on Starnafin Pools. 

After settling in and watching some of the many Tree Sparrows that reside here perched along the fenceline a scan of the pools produced a Green Sandpiper, (8) Ruff, (3) Greenshank, a single Snipe and something completely unexpected! The yellow legs of course were unmistakable and from here just a matter of deciding whether a Greater or Lesser Yellowlegs. I've lived in Aberdeenshire now for 3 years and this one was in fact my third Lesser Yellowlegs, making it an annual event but the first self-found.