![\"Phalaropes](\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/red-necked-and-wilsons-phalaropes-flight-mia-mcpherson-8536.jpg\")
![\"Phalaropes](\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/red-necked-and-wilsons-phalaropes-flight-circled-mia-mcpherson-8536.jpg\")
It is the season of phalarope migration here in the Great Basin hub of the Pacific Flyway<\/span><\/a> 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/span><\/a>, here<\/span><\/a> and here<\/span><\/a>.<\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n From this mainly frontal view of the phalaropes it might be more challenging to see the differences.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> 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\u2019s Phalaropes in this photo too.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n There are other differences that I won’t bother to go into this morning.\u00a0 I just wanted to share a few phalarope ID tips this morning.<\/p>\n Can you spot the differences?<\/p>\n Life is<\/em> good. Stay safe.<\/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. Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Wilson’s Phalarope photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":72186,"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":[511,27,1022,6161,26,1140],"tags":[215,164,4982,4052,4245,4005,5314,6233,5013,1637,3915,3824,6162,4287,6163,5990,2315,2442],"class_list":["post-72188","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","category-wilsons-phalaropes","tag-bird-id","tag-bird-identification-2","tag-comparison","tag-flight","tag-flocks","tag-great-salt-lake","tag-hypersaline","tag-id","tag-identification","tag-murmuration","tag-phalarope","tag-phalaropes","tag-phalaropus-lobatus","tag-phalaropus-tricolor","tag-red-necked-phalarope","tag-saline-lake","tag-summer-3","tag-wilsons-phalarope"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/red-necked-and-wilsons-phalaropes-flight-mia-mcpherson-8544.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-iMk","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":105614,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/08\/30\/two-phalarope-species-at-bear-river-mbr\/","url_meta":{"origin":72188,"position":0},"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":48917,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/10\/12\/red-necked-phalaropes-migration-and-the-great-salt-lake\/","url_meta":{"origin":72188,"position":1},"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":72188,"position":2},"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":92004,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/07\/10\/twelve-years-in-utah\/","url_meta":{"origin":72188,"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, 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":8700,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/06\/25\/wilsons-phalarope-a-whirligig-bird\/","url_meta":{"origin":72188,"position":4},"title":"Wilson’s Phalarope – 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 "Beaverhead County"","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":[]},{"id":27042,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/08\/03\/young-wilsons-phalaropes-at-bear-river-national-wildlife-refuge\/","url_meta":{"origin":72188,"position":5},"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, 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![\"Dorsal](\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/red-necked-and-wilsons-phalaropes-flight-mia-mcpherson-8544.jpg\")
![\"Dorsal](\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/red-necked-and-wilsons-phalaropes-flight-circled-mia-mcpherson-8544.jpg\")