{"id":105614,"date":"2022-08-30T03:18:49","date_gmt":"2022-08-30T09:18:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=105614"},"modified":"2023-10-31T03:17:47","modified_gmt":"2023-10-31T09:17:47","slug":"two-phalarope-species-at-bear-river-mbr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/08\/30\/two-phalarope-species-at-bear-river-mbr\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Phalarope Species At Bear River MBR"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Red-neckedRed-necked Phalarope in the wetlands of Bear River MBR \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Two days ago after leaving the auto tour route at Bear River MBR<\/span><\/a> I was able to photograph two phalarope species in a wetlands that were feeding side by side. The phalarope that caught my eyes immediately was the Red-necked Phalarope because it was smaller and more strongly patterned. I jumped on the chance to photograph The Red-necked Phalarope since I didn’t have any close up images of this species. Prior to two days ago I only had photos of them in flocks in flight.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult Wilson’s Phalarope in nonbreeding plumage \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The adult Wilson’s Phalarope in nonbreeding plumage didn’t escape being photographed either. The wind had come up and the water looked silty because it was being stirred up. Simply put though, I enjoyed having both phalarope species in my viewfinder.<\/p>\n

\"Red-neckedRed-necked Phalarope in nonbreeding plumage \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The Red-necked Phalarope was also in nonbreeding plumage. Both species are far more colorful in breeding plumage which I do see in the spring. In both species the females are the most colorful which is slightly unusual for birds.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult Wilson’s Phalarope in the wetlands of Bear River MBR \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

It is hard to tell from these images but the Wilson’s Phalarope is the larger of the two species. Both of these phalaropes were challenging to photograph because of the wind, the small waves and their quick movements.<\/p>\n

I would have been happier with these images if the water color hadn’t been so dirty looking. I’m still happy that I got to photograph both species.<\/p>\n

\"ForagingForaging Red-necked Phalarope \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

One day both phalarope species may avoid coming to this area at all depending on whether we can save the Great Salt Lake from drying up and becoming a toxic dust bowl.<\/p>\n

\"Red-neckedRed-necked and Wilson’s Phalarope flock in flight in 2020 \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Why the Great Salt Lake is important for these phalaropes<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Both Red-necked and Wilson’s Phalaropes depend on being able to refuel on the Great Salt Lake during their migrations through Utah. They feed on the brine shrimp and brine flies in the lake. The more the Great Salt Lake dries up the higher the salinity will become. At some point the lake could soon become too saline for the brine shrimp to exist. The phalaropes would then need to find food elsewhere. I hope it never comes to that but honestly I can’t say it won’t happen.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good but we need to do a better job of taking care of this planet for it to remain that way.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

In case you were wondering how I can tell the two species apart in flight from a distance I did a post on that here<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Red-necked Phalarope photos plus facts and information about this species. Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Wilson\u2019s Phalarope photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two days ago after leaving the auto tour route at Bear River MBR I was able to photograph two phalarope species in a wetlands that were feeding side by side.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":105597,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[511,124,27,1148,1022,6161,26,1140],"tags":[4004,58,3981,4052,4247,4122,4136,4005,5993,5178,4094,4246,3915,3824,6162,4287,6163,274,2315,30,3996,4095,2442],"class_list":["post-105614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge","category-avian","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-davis-county-utah","category-red-necked-phalaropes","category-utah","category-wilsons-phalaropes","tag-adult","tag-antelope-island-sp","tag-davis-county","tag-flight","tag-flock","tag-flying","tag-foraging","tag-great-salt-lake","tag-hypersaline-lake","tag-lake","tag-marsh","tag-nonbreeding-plumage","tag-phalarope","tag-phalaropes","tag-phalaropus-lobatus","tag-phalaropus-tricolor","tag-red-necked-phalarope","tag-shorebirds-2","tag-summer-3","tag-utah-2","tag-water","tag-wetlands","tag-wilsons-phalarope"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/red-necked-phalarope-nonbreeding-mia-mcpherson-9376.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-rts","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":48917,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/10\/12\/red-necked-phalaropes-migration-and-the-great-salt-lake\/","url_meta":{"origin":105614,"position":0},"title":"Red-necked Phalaropes – Migration and the Great Salt Lake","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 12, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Last month I was able to photograph flocks of Red-necked Phalaropes on the Great Salt Lake when they were migrating through the area.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Red-necked Phalarope murmuration, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/red-necked-phalaropes-flight-mia-mcpherson-8599.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/red-necked-phalaropes-flight-mia-mcpherson-8599.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/red-necked-phalaropes-flight-mia-mcpherson-8599.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/red-necked-phalaropes-flight-mia-mcpherson-8599.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":53154,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/07\/19\/incredible-phalarope-migration-happening-now-at-the-great-salt-lake\/","url_meta":{"origin":105614,"position":1},"title":"Incredible Phalarope Migration Happening Now at the Great Salt Lake","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 19, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Red-necked and Wilson's Phalaropes have started their fall migration and one of the places where they gather in large numbers is the Great Salt Lake where they show up in the tens of thousands to feed and rest before continuing their journey.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Red-necked Phalarope flock in flight, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/red-necked-phalarope-flock-flight-mia-mcpherson-2744.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/red-necked-phalarope-flock-flight-mia-mcpherson-2744.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/red-necked-phalarope-flock-flight-mia-mcpherson-2744.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/red-necked-phalarope-flock-flight-mia-mcpherson-2744.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":72188,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/07\/26\/flocks-of-phalaropes-in-flight-but-which-species\/","url_meta":{"origin":105614,"position":2},"title":"Flocks of Phalaropes In Flight – But Which Species?","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 26, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"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.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Dorsal view of Phalaropes in flight - Which species?","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/red-necked-and-wilsons-phalaropes-flight-mia-mcpherson-8544.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/red-necked-and-wilsons-phalaropes-flight-mia-mcpherson-8544.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/red-necked-and-wilsons-phalaropes-flight-mia-mcpherson-8544.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/red-necked-and-wilsons-phalaropes-flight-mia-mcpherson-8544.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/red-necked-and-wilsons-phalaropes-flight-mia-mcpherson-8544.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":27042,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/08\/03\/young-wilsons-phalaropes-at-bear-river-national-wildlife-refuge\/","url_meta":{"origin":105614,"position":3},"title":"Young Wilson’s Phalaropes at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 3, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I am seeing more and more Wilson's Phalaropes at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and the majority of the birds I see are hatch year birds.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Young Wilson\u2019s Phalarope at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/wilsons-phalarope-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-1994.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/wilsons-phalarope-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-1994.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/wilsons-phalarope-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-1994.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/wilsons-phalarope-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-1994.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":92004,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/07\/10\/twelve-years-in-utah\/","url_meta":{"origin":105614,"position":4},"title":"Twelve Years In Utah","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 10, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Twelve years ago this morning I woke in Grand Island, Nebraska. I was a little more than 800 miles from my destination of Salt Lake City.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Migrating phalarope murmuration, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/phalarope-murmurations-mia-mcpherson-6422.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/phalarope-murmurations-mia-mcpherson-6422.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/phalarope-murmurations-mia-mcpherson-6422.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/phalarope-murmurations-mia-mcpherson-6422.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":25504,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/06\/16\/a-wilsons-phalarope-and-a-midge-at-red-rock-lakes-national-wildlife-refuge\/","url_meta":{"origin":105614,"position":5},"title":"Wilson’s Phalarope And A Midge At Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 16, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"On my recent trip to Idaho and Montana I didn't have many opportunities with Wilson's Phalaropes except for one at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge's Lower Lake.","rel":"","context":"In "Beaverhead County"","block_context":{"text":"Beaverhead County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/montana\/beaverhead-county-montana\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Wilson's Phalarope and a Midge, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Beaverhead County, Montana","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/wilsons-phalarope-midge-mia-mcpherson-5648.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/wilsons-phalarope-midge-mia-mcpherson-5648.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/wilsons-phalarope-midge-mia-mcpherson-5648.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/wilsons-phalarope-midge-mia-mcpherson-5648.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105614","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105614"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105614\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105597"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}