#wilsons phalarope

[abirddogmoment]

New lifer for me: Wilson's phalarope!

[birdblues]

Wilson’s Phalarope

[mostlybirdsandphotos]

a pair of wilson's phalaropes! somewhat rare in my area, so it was very lucky that I got to see them twice in 3 days (｡^ᴗ^ )

interestingly, the females are the bolder ones in these birds! such an elegant pair ( ˙꒳​˙ )

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Inside Climate News:

To complete a nonstop 4,000-mile flight, Wilson’s phalarope needs fuel.

The tiny inland shorebird famed for its reversed gender roles often finds that food in the Great Salt Lake. Upwards of 250,000 of the birds, a third of the species’ total population, will find their way to the country’s largest saline lake in the coming months to fill up on an almost endless supply of alkali flies, brine flies and brine shrimp. During that period, Wilson’s phalaropes will double their size and molt their feathers for a new coat, preparing them to travel south to Argentina for the winter. 

But the pit stop needed to complete that journey is on the verge of collapse. For decades, the lake has received too little fresh water from the three rivers that feed it, largely due to agricultural operations diverting too much of their flow. That’s resulted in half of the lake’s surface area drying up, while the actual volume of water has dropped by around 70 percent. Less fresh water entering the lake means the salinity levels are rising, threatening the reproductivity of the invertebrates that feed Wilson’s phalarope and the millions of birds that come to the lake. Already, some sections of the lake are functionally dead after being cut off from the main body of water.

As part of an effort to save the lake and all that depends on it, a coalition of environmentalists and scientists filed a petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last month to have Wilson’s phalarope listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. It’s a move that kicks off a years-long process that could force federal intervention to save the bird. Or it could force Utah and its neighboring states to devise their own conservation plan for the lake and Wilson’s phalarope to avoid federal involvement to protect the species.

“Our point is not to get a species on a list,” said Patrick Donnelly, the Great Basin director for the Center for Biological Diversity, which led the push for the petition. “Our point is to prevent extinction.”

[supremebirdbracket]

Another (spinning!) girlboss and a classic shorebird.

Wilson’s phalaropes are migratory, breeding in the prairies of western North America and wintering in inland salt lakes in western South America. They feed by spinning around to create a vortex in the water, which stirs up invertebrates from the bottom of the water. Unusually for birds, the females of this species are larger and more colorful. During the breeding season, a female will court several males consecutively and lay several clutches with different fathers. Females compete for nesting territory as well as defend their nests and mates. Once a female lays her eggs, she will leave them in the care of the father and move on to find a new male.

Sanderlings live along the sandy beaches of much of the world and breed on the high Arctic tundra. They mostly eat small crabs and other invertebrates, which they pick out of the sand with their narrow beaks. They chase the surf as it retreats, because the sand is softer at this time and they can more easily catch hiding invertebrates. During breeding season, males defend their nesting territory. Sanderlings may form monogamous pairs or polyandrous systems.

[little-creature-of-the-day]

little creature of the day: Wilson's Phalarope

I like when they swim in little circles

image source

[everydayesterday]

A pair of beautiful and distinctive Wilson's Phalarope (she's more beautiful than he, if you ask me—he looks not too dissimilar to other sandpipers) wading along the shore of a pond.

photos by me. 2023-05-13 Outside of Vulcan, AB. cross-posted to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay Library.

Phalaropus tricolor

[wingedjewels]

Beautiful Sunny Morning Swim - Wilson's Phalarope by Georgie Alexon Via Flickr: This Wilson's Phalarope photograph was taken in Alberta, Canada on a sunny spring day. He was out swimming in circles on a lake looking for his next meal. These birds forage for food in a unique way. This species swims around in circles creating a whirlpool. This agitates any small aquatic invertebrate and algae from the substrate of a pond or lake and brings it to the surface. This species of bird also forages in the mud surrounding the pond or lake for prey. Wilson's phalaropes will probe their bill into the mud or stand still and snatch flying insects out of the air. Wilson's phalaropes rarely pursue prey while in flight. -Phalaropus tricolor

[datubooty]

got to see me some cedar waxwings today (even if from relatively far) and thought i would be more bummed that we didn’t find where the flock went, but instead i’m going bonkers trying to figure out what yellow-legged vaguely two-tone shore bird we saw

[atamagaitai]

wilson's phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor) by Raphael Kurz

[herpsandbirds]

Spring Bird Watching Trip

Hey y'all, Paxon and I are back from a week off, where we went birding along the Texas Gulf Coast and at Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge, outside Austin, TX.

We saw lots of eastern screech owls, a lot of standard spring migrating warblers, and lots of roseate spoonbills and other wading birds nesting at High Island.

Here were my highlights from the week:

1. Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary, on the Bolivar Peninsula (across from Galveston Island), we got rather close to huge numbers of American Avocets in breeding plumage and Black Terns.

2. Galveston Island, in small brackish marsh, in the center of the island, a large group of male and female Wilson's Phalaropes, feeding and doing their typical twirling motions. (The females are colorful and the males are dull).

3. Balcones Canyonlands NWR, I got two LIFERS that I had been chasing for a long time... Scott's Oriole (the last species of oriole i had not seen in the US, now I have them all!) and the endangered Black-capped Vireo (finally)!!!

photographs: tern - Jeff Dyck; avocets - photolady57, phalropes - Rick Grupe; oriole - Andy & Chrissy; vireo - Keith Turpin

[scottpartridge]

The Red-Necked Phalarope is day 19 of #migratorymay2024 hosted by @migratorymay and @environmentamericas Pictured are all three #phalaropes - Red-Necked, Wilson's and Red. #migratorymay

[whatsthebird]

What's the Bird?

Location: Washington State

We ask that discussion under questions be limited to how you came to your conclusion, not what your conclusion was.

Happy Birding!

Keep the game alive! Submit a bird HERE

[practically-an-x-man]

Oooh, can you do my top three female S/Is? :D

Thanks!

Sure thing!

Rose is a little blue (fairy) penguin!

Abi is a Wilson's phalarope! (one of only a few bird species where the female is more colorful than the male; the female is on the right)

Jess is a peregrine falcon!

[b-blushes]

wilsons phalarope has me thinking that if a pro looking bird photographer posts a photo you could caption that anything and it'd look true

[ornithological]

there is/was an adult breeding plumage wilson's phalarope in donegal today 😳😳😳