All – many thanks to Allen Larner for posting the notice about the Wilson’s
Phalarope. After exchanging a few emails with Allen, I headed up to Stuart’s
Draft and arrived at the pond about 4pm. At the pond were 3 Least Sandpipers,
1 Semipalmated Sandpiper, 1 Solitary Sandpiper, and 4 Killdeer who were
convinced that the earth was coming to an end and that the angus cows near the
pond were carnivores. Anyway, the WIPH was very active while I was there. At
first, it bathed and did a few circles in the water and then it foraged along
the far edge of the pond and then in a mud-bar in the center of the pond. It
was almost always accompanied by the smaller peeps. The sky was a heavy
overcast and there was a little mist in the air at times, so the lighting
wasn’t the best for photos. I agree with Allen that the bird appears to be a
juvenile WIPH. I’ve posted some photos if you are interested in seeing them:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/vmibiology/
Dick Rowe
VMI Biology
