phalaropus (from phalaris, coot, and pous, foot) lobatus (lobed)
Sunday, May 27, 1984 — 9:00 am
Manotowish Waters, Wisconsin — Powell Marsh
I was way out in the center of the marsh, near a low sand hill that rises above the otherwise flat expanse of grass and water.
I spotted the Red-necked Phalarope wading and swimming about rapidly in a patch of shallow open water. It moved quickly, shuffling back and forth in a small area about four feet out from the edge of the reeds. It was flushed twice, once by a flock of Canada Geese and once when another phalarope landed nearby, but it soon returned to the same area.
I turned my attention to the other phalarope, and to my surprise and delight, it turned out to be a female Wilson’s. This was only the second time I’d ever seen a Wilson’s Phalarope, and it gave me a good chance to compare the two species.