Wilson's Phalarope
A Wilson's Phalarope has been showing well today at the Ron Barker hide it has flown off a couple of times but luckily keeps coming back. The bird was found by John and Pam Hall and Phil Johnson.
Wilson's Phalaropes breed in North America and migrate down to South America to winter (inland salt lakes near the Andes in Argentina), this bird has probably been blown off course during migration, they migrate in groups and sometimes when they get blown off course they turn up in the UK in groups so we'll keep looking as there could be more. Phalaropes are an interesting group of waders the females are more colourful than the males, they mate with several males during the breeding season and once they have laid the eggs they desert the males and leave them to rear the young.
The last Wilson's Phalarope at Martin Mere was in the autumn of 2009 so a great sighting!!
