{"id":48917,"date":"2017-10-12T05:17:47","date_gmt":"2017-10-12T11:17:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=48917"},"modified":"2026-04-28T05:53:05","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T10:53:05","slug":"red-necked-phalaropes-migration-and-the-great-salt-lake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/10\/12\/red-necked-phalaropes-migration-and-the-great-salt-lake\/","title":{"rendered":"Red-necked Phalaropes – Migration and the Great Salt Lake"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Red-neckedRed-necked Phalaropes in flight – Nikon D500, f9, 1\/1000, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I’ve written several posts on Wilson’s Phalaropes and how important the Great Salt Lake is to them<\/span><\/a>, how they form beautiful and mesmerizing murmurations over the lake<\/span><\/a>, in Montana how they deal with hail storms<\/span><\/a> and seeing a tiny phalarope chick foraging in a small pool of water<\/span><\/a>, how the females are more colorful than the males and how they leave the males to rear their young<\/span><\/a>. Wilson’s Phalaropes are the phalarope species I see most often.<\/p>\n

I also see Red-necked Phalaropes on the Great Salt Lake<\/a> during migration when they stop to refuel and rest on their way to the coasts of Central and South America where they will spend their nonbreeding season at sea. They are the smallest of the three phalarope species found in North America.<\/p>\n

Last month I was able to photograph flocks of Red-necked Phalaropes on the Great Salt Lake when they were migrating through the area. They weren’t as numerous as the Wilson’s Phalaropes but I was able to take photos of them in flocks flying over the lake.<\/p>\n

\"Red-neckedRed-necked Phalaropes flying over the Great Salt Lake – Nikon D500, f9, 1\/1600, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The phalaropes were feeding on brine flies and shrimp to refuel for the rest of their journey south. I wish I had been able to record the sounds of the phalaropes while they were feeding and the whoosh they make when they fly past. All of the Red-necked Phalaropes I photographed in late September were in nonbreeding plumage.<\/p>\n

Like the Wilson’s Phalaropes, the female Red-necked Phalaropes are more colorful during the breeding season and they also leave the males to rear the young.<\/p>\n

\"Red-neckedRed-necked Phalarope murmuration – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Also like the Wilson’s Phalaropes the Red-necked Phalaropes form beautiful murmurations over the Great Salt Lake which sometimes looks to be a very well choreographed aerial dance or controlled chaos.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

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

Last month I was able to photograph flocks of Red-necked Phalaropes on the Great Salt Lake when they were migrating through the area. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":130056,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_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":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[511,27,1022,6161,26],"tags":[5290,4052,4247,4122,4005,530,1637,3915,3824,6162,6163,274],"class_list":["post-48917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-avian","category-davis-county-utah","category-red-necked-phalaropes","category-utah","tag-fall-migration","tag-flight","tag-flock","tag-flying","tag-great-salt-lake","tag-migration","tag-murmuration","tag-phalarope","tag-phalaropes","tag-phalaropus-lobatus","tag-red-necked-phalarope","tag-shorebirds-2"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/red-necked-phalaropes-flight-mia-mcpherson-8599.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-cIZ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":53154,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/07\/19\/incredible-phalarope-migration-happening-now-at-the-great-salt-lake\/","url_meta":{"origin":48917,"position":0},"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":48917,"position":1},"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":105614,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/08\/30\/two-phalarope-species-at-bear-river-mbr\/","url_meta":{"origin":48917,"position":2},"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 "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 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":92004,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/07\/10\/twelve-years-in-utah\/","url_meta":{"origin":48917,"position":3},"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, 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