[birding] Red Phalarope (not red-necked) at Philomath SPs

[Robinson, Douglas - FW]

Folks

There was a red-necked there in the morning.

Birds were moving around all day, so the bird later in the day was an  
arrival sometime later.  I got pics of the late bird, as did Lisa, but  
could not get on the earlier bird; there were much more interesting  
birds to focus on during the morning.

Besides, how logical is it to say that a phalarope in Nov must be a  
red when there are storm-petrels, heeerman's gulls, and Barrow's  
goldeneyes there, too--all firsts.  Makes no sense to start declaring  
impossibilities or unlikelihoods.

Have fun
Doug




On Nov 23, 2009, at 9:03 AM, "Jamie S." <woodpecker97330 at yahoo.com>  
wrote:

> Thanks to Dave Irons, Alan Contreras, and Tim Rodenkirk, (and Lisa  
> Millbank, who posted a photo) we now know that the "very late" red- 
> necked phalarope at the Philomath SPs yesterday was actually a more  
> expected "blown over the Coast Range" red phalarope in transitional  
> plumage.
>
> Jamie Simmons
> Corvallis
>
> --- On Mon, 11/23/09, David Irons <llsdirons at msn.com> wrote:
>
> From: David Irons <llsdirons at msn.com>
> Subject: RE: [birding] Philomath sewage treatment ponds
> To: "Lisa Millbank" <lisaaves at peak.org>, "Mid-Valley Birders" <list at midvalleybirding.org 
> >
> Date: Monday, November 23, 2009, 12:51 AM
>
> Hi Lisa,
>
> Your image labeled "Red-necked Phalarope" is actually a hatch-year  
> Red Phalarope that is transitioning from juvenile to its first basic  
> (winter) plumage. Note the overall thickness of the bill and the  
> rather thick neck of this bird. Also, it does not show any light  
> (whitish) streaking on the back, which would be shown by a similarly  
> plumaged Red-necked. A Red-necked Phalarope has a thinner neck, a  
> very tiny head, and bill that is often described as 'needle-like"  
> because it is so thin.
>
> A Red-necked Phalarope in Oregon at this time of year would be quite  
> unusual, whereas Red Phalarope is the "expected"phalarope in Oregon  
> after Nov 1st. Under normal circumstances I would send this reply to  
> you only, but I noticed that Jamie Simmons' summary of Sunday's  
> rarities at the Philomath STP included a Red-necked Phalarope, which  
> I found very surprising. Separation of Red and Red-necked Phalaropes  
> in transitional hatch-year plumages is an under-appreciated ID  
> challenge and one that is not covered well in some of the popular  
> field guides. Aside from pelagic trips, opportunities to see these  
> two species side-by-side in Oregon are few and far between.
>
> I recently published a photo essay about plumage variation in Red  
> Phalaropes at this time of year. It can be viewed at BirdFellow.com.  
> It includes a photo of a bird that is near identical to the one in  
> your image.
>
> Dave Irons
> Eugene, OR
>
> From: lisaaves at peak.org
> To: list at midvalleybirding.org
> Date: Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:45:27 -0800
> Subject: [birding] Philomath sewage treatment ponds
>
> We took a ride out to the Philomath sewage treatment ponds after  
> hearing all the reports about the unusual birds showing up there.
> Along with the HEERMANN'S GULLS (who were departing to the west  
> around 4PM), COMMON GOLDENEYE, and RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, we saw an  
> EARED GREBE.  The phalarope sure was a cute, perky little guy,  
> spinning around and picking up delicious nibbles out of the poo  
> lagoon.  He didn't care at all as we slowly walked by. (Picture of  
> phalarope at http://groups.google.com/group/mid-valley-nature/browse_thread/thread/45bd91d03f3b33b5 
> )
> A congregation of NORTHERN SHOVELERS, LESSER SCAUPS, RING-NECKED  
> DUCKS, and AMERICAN WIGEONS seemed to have found a rich food source  
> in the middle of the south pond.  There were lots of RUDDY DUCKS,  
> BUFFLEHEADS, AMERICAN COOTS, and a few HOODED MERGANSERS.
> We missed out on Barrow's Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Leach's  
> Storm-Petrel, and Bonaparte's Gull reported by others today.  I  
> always worry about birds who get blown in by storms or otherwise go  
> off-course.  I'd much rather they got on their way and back to where  
> they want to be, even if that means we don't get to see them.
> Lisa
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