It is the season of phalarope migration here in the Great Basin hub of the Pacific Flyway and one of the best places to view these shorebirds is along the causeway to Antelope Island State Park. The phalaropes gather in impressively large numbers on the hypersaline Great Salt Lake to feast on brine shrimp and brine flies which helps to fuel them up for their long migrations.
If I am lucky I get to see amazing murmurations of the phalaropes over the Great Salt Lake. Some of my images of these spectacular murmurations can be seen here, here and here.
Many of the phalaropes that arrive here during this time of the years are Wilson’s Phalaropes but we also get Red-necked Phalaropes and far less frequently Red Phalaropes appear.
Last week I was able to observe phalaropes from the causeway to Antelope Island. I didn’t get to see the mesmerizing murmurations I had hoped to see and photograph but I did take a few photos of them in flight.
The photos in this post most likely won’t make it into my portfolio but I thought they might be useful to show that when it comes to identifying these birds we shouldn’t always assume that they are all Wilson’s Phalaropes.
A quick look at the photo above might not be enough to see that there are actually two species of phalaropes in the frame, but a closer look shows that there are.
Pull the rectangle on the right side to the left and you’ll see I have circled some (not all) of the Red-necked Phalaropes flying with the Wilson’s Phalaropes.
From this mainly frontal view of the phalaropes it might be more challenging to see the differences.
But when the view of the phalaropes is mainly from a dorsal aspect the differences become clearer. Pull the rectangle on the right side to the left. I have circled some (not all) of the Red-necked Phalaropes flying with the Wilson’s Phalaropes in this photo too.
Note that the phalaropes I have circled in blue above have white stripes on the wings, those birds are Red-necked Phalaropes. The ones with plainer wings are Wilson’s Phalaropes.
Red Phalaropes also have a white stripe on their wings but the underside of their wings are lighter. I’ve scoured both images I have shared here and I don’t see a Red Phalarope among them.
In both of these images the size difference between the two species is also visible, Wilson’s Phalaropes are a bit larger than Red-necked.
There are other differences that I won’t bother to go into this morning. I just wanted to share a few phalarope ID tips this morning.
Can you spot the differences?
Life is good. Stay safe.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Red-necked Phalarope photos plus facts and information about this species. Click here to see more of my Wilson’s Phalarope photos plus facts and information about this species.
Thank you. Without your assistance I would only see (and delight in) a sea of birds.
I am super impressed at your techie abilities too.
This post was so much fun! I love interactive stuff and it’s a blast to be able to “check my answers” like this. You are a tech — and teach — wizard, Mia! 🙂
In the first photo, the red-necked have a white area at the chin. That seems to help in sorting them out from that angle.
Great pictures and info!
Very cool techie application, I am impressed!
Great images & great information. Thanks.