News of a Greater Yellowlegs on the Suffolk coast got us excited, but without a car, it wouldn't be easy to get there. It was a difficult place to hitchhike to also, so when Philip said his Dad might come over and give us a lift, we were massively relieved.
The day turned out to be mild and overcast. Philip's Dad picked us up and we headed east towards the Suffolk Coast. The 'legs had been reported to still be present first thing on some pools at Southwold, but had flown on to the Blyth estuary as the tide had dropped. So, as we arrived in the area, the bird was missing. We spent most of the day looking fruitlessly round the Blyth Estuary, discovering lots of little spots which were good for birds, but seemingly not for Greater Yellowlegs'. A few waders were present, including three Wood Sandpipers, pairs of Greenshank and Spotted Redshank, several Bar-tailed Godwits and one displaying male Black-tailed Godwit. Avocets were much in evidence, one pair with a chick.
The day wore on and there was no news on Birdline of the 'legs. We felt despondent but had at least tried hard. Phil's Dad suggested we go back to the pools where the bird had last been seen as the tide was coming in and it seemed logical that the waders would be pushed off the estuary. This was a great call as our arrival back at the pools at Southwold coincided with the return of the 'legs! The bird flew in and landed on the pool, where we watched it for the next 45 minutes happily feeding in the shallow water. The bird had a very different jizz to the Lesser Yellowlegs I had seen previously, being larger, with a longer, more robust and slightly upturned bill. The bird had lots of dark feathering on its upperparts, indicating summer plumage. After enjoying great views, the bird flew off. We heard later that it had been refound to the northwest at Berney Marshes, along the river Yare, where it stayed until the end of the month.
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