{"id":25504,"date":"2015-06-16T06:03:22","date_gmt":"2015-06-16T12:03:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=25504"},"modified":"2022-04-22T11:28:43","modified_gmt":"2022-04-22T17:28:43","slug":"a-wilsons-phalarope-and-a-midge-at-red-rock-lakes-national-wildlife-refuge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/06\/16\/a-wilsons-phalarope-and-a-midge-at-red-rock-lakes-national-wildlife-refuge\/","title":{"rendered":"Wilson&#8217;s Phalarope And A Midge At Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload aligncenter wp-image-25503 size-full\" title=\"Wilson's Phalarope and a Midge\" src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/wilsons-phalarope-midge-mia-mcpherson-5648.jpg\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/wilsons-phalarope-midge-mia-mcpherson-5648.jpg\" alt=\"Wilson's Phalarope and a Midge\" width=\"850\" height=\"607\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27850%27%20height%3D%27607%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20850%20607%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27850%27%20height%3D%27607%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/wilsons-phalarope-midge-mia-mcpherson-5648-250x179.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/wilsons-phalarope-midge-mia-mcpherson-5648-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/wilsons-phalarope-midge-mia-mcpherson-5648.jpg 850w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Wilson&#8217;s Phalarope and a Midge &#8211; Nikon D810, f9, 1\/1000, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p>On my recent trip to Idaho and Montana I didn&#8217;t have many opportunities with Wilson&#8217;s Phalaropes except for one at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge&#8217;s Lower Lake. There were quite a few in the ephemeral pond east of the dam road that were too far away to photograph but one on the west side that was close enough to lay glass on.<\/p>\n<p>This Wilson&#8217;s Phalarope was busy looking for insects to eat and after this frame it caught and ate the midge in front of its bill.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m back home now and trying to get caught up with culling several thousand images that I took on this recent journey.<\/p>\n<p>Life is good.<\/p>\n<p>Mia<\/p>\n<p>Click <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wilsons-phalarope-images\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">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":"<p>On my recent trip to Idaho and Montana I didn&#8217;t have many opportunities with Wilson&#8217;s Phalaropes except for one at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge&#8217;s Lower Lake.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25503,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1513,27,223,5736,12,608,1140],"tags":[4004,4053,781,615,4365,3915,3824,4287,3825,3975,274,165,5434,3996,4095,2442],"class_list":["post-25504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beaverhead-county-montana","category-avian","category-centennial-valley","category-midges","category-montana","category-red-rock-lakes-national-wildlife-refuge","category-wilsons-phalaropes","tag-adult","tag-breeding-plumage","tag-chironomidae","tag-lower-lake","tag-midge","tag-phalarope","tag-phalaropes","tag-phalaropus-tricolor","tag-river-marsh-campground","tag-shorebird","tag-shorebirds-2","tag-spring","tag-valley","tag-water","tag-wetlands","tag-wilsons-phalarope"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/wilsons-phalarope-midge-mia-mcpherson-5648.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-6Dm","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":40511,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/07\/13\/wilsons-phalarope-chick-at-red-rock-lakes-nwr\/","url_meta":{"origin":25504,"position":0},"title":"Wilson&#8217;s Phalarope Chick at Red Rock Lakes NWR","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 13, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I was photographing a Wilson's Phalarope chick and it was in fact the youngest phalarope chick I had ever seen!","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Beaverhead County&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Beaverhead County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/montana\/beaverhead-county-montana\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Wilson's Phalarope chick in pond","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/wilsons-phalarope-chick-montana-mia-mcpherson-3172.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/wilsons-phalarope-chick-montana-mia-mcpherson-3172.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/wilsons-phalarope-chick-montana-mia-mcpherson-3172.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/wilsons-phalarope-chick-montana-mia-mcpherson-3172.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3928,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2011\/12\/31\/a-rainbow-and-wilsons-phalaropes\/","url_meta":{"origin":25504,"position":1},"title":"Rainbow and Wilson&#8217;s Phalaropes","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 31, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"As 2011 comes to a close and 2012 is just hours away , I wanted to do one more blog post for the year.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Beaverhead County&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Beaverhead County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/montana\/beaverhead-county-montana\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Flock of Wilson\u2019s Phalaropes in a rainstorm with a rainbow, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Beaverhead County, Montana","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/wilsons-phalarope-flock-rainbow-flight-mia-mcpherson-6344.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/wilsons-phalarope-flock-rainbow-flight-mia-mcpherson-6344.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/wilsons-phalarope-flock-rainbow-flight-mia-mcpherson-6344.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/wilsons-phalarope-flock-rainbow-flight-mia-mcpherson-6344.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6452,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/10\/28\/hail-yeah-storm-at-red-rock-lakes-dam\/","url_meta":{"origin":25504,"position":2},"title":"Hail Yeah &#8211; Storm at Red Rock Lakes Dam","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 28, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Since I began photographing birds in Florida I have gotten used to getting wet to photograph shorebirds, wringing wet at times but my gear has never been as wet as it was the day I took these images from inside the pickup.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;American Avocets&quot;","block_context":{"text":"American Avocets","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/shorebirds\/american-avocets\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"American Avocets flying in a driving rain, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Beaverhead County, Montana","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/american-avocets-rain-storm-mia-mcpherson-6246.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/american-avocets-rain-storm-mia-mcpherson-6246.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/american-avocets-rain-storm-mia-mcpherson-6246.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/american-avocets-rain-storm-mia-mcpherson-6246.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":105614,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/08\/30\/two-phalarope-species-at-bear-river-mbr\/","url_meta":{"origin":25504,"position":3},"title":"Two Phalarope Species At Bear River MBR","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 30, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"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.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Antelope Island State Park&quot;","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 in the wetlands of Bear River MBR, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/red-necked-phalarope-nonbreeding-mia-mcpherson-9376.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/red-necked-phalarope-nonbreeding-mia-mcpherson-9376.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/red-necked-phalarope-nonbreeding-mia-mcpherson-9376.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/red-necked-phalarope-nonbreeding-mia-mcpherson-9376.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5218,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/06\/22\/whoa-that-is-a-lot-of-wilsons-phalaropes\/","url_meta":{"origin":25504,"position":4},"title":"Whoa, that is a lot of Wilson&#8217;s Phalaropes!","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 22, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"There were hundreds of thousands of Wilson's Phalaropes near the shoreline of the causeway, whirling around in the water and along the marshy areas not far from the park entrance.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Antelope Island State Park&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/wilsons-phalaropes-flock-mia-mcpherson-9519.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/wilsons-phalaropes-flock-mia-mcpherson-9519.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/wilsons-phalaropes-flock-mia-mcpherson-9519.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/wilsons-phalaropes-flock-mia-mcpherson-9519.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8700,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/06\/25\/wilsons-phalarope-a-whirligig-bird\/","url_meta":{"origin":25504,"position":5},"title":"Wilson&#8217;s Phalarope &#8211; A Whirligig Bird","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 25, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"In early June while in western Montana there was a pair of Wilson's Phalaropes on a small, privately owned pond near a gravel road foraging for prey that I couldn't resist photographing.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Beaverhead County&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Beaverhead County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/montana\/beaverhead-county-montana\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Female Wilson\u2019s Phalarope foraging, Centennial Valley, Beaverhead County, Montana","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/wilsons-phalarope-mia-mcpherson-4190.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/wilsons-phalarope-mia-mcpherson-4190.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/wilsons-phalarope-mia-mcpherson-4190.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/wilsons-phalarope-mia-mcpherson-4190.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\/25504","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=25504"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25504\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25503"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}