Some great migrating birds were seen on Saturday at
Sweetwater Wetlands in Tucson, AZ. I picked up a lifer when I spotted the reported
Red Phalarope hanging out with some Long-billed Dowitchers. This is a new bird for this migrant trap, bringing its total to 290 species. Red Phalaropes are "casual" here mainly in late fall, and even more rare in the spring. It wasn't in breeding plumage yet, but I'll take it! These photos aren't the best quality since the birds were in a distant, inaccessible recharge basin.
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| Red Phalarope |
I got even more excited (like Tim Tebow excited) when I saw a
Red-necked Phalarope in breeding plumage! What a cool looking bird! This species is "casual" here until late April when it becomes "rare." It's the first one I've seen in breeding plumage and my first one in Pima County. Amazingly, I was able to get the profiles of both phalaropes in the same shot.
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| Red-necked Phalarope (left) and Red Phalarope (right) |
Female phalaropes are larger and more colorful than males, which makes this Red-necked Phalarope a female.
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| Red Phalarope range map |
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| Red-necked Phalarope range map (orange = migration) |
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