Encountering this bird in the surf along the beach one might think it's just another shorebird. A sandpiper perhaps. In reality, however, these tiny birds spend the majority of their lives well out to sea, and like any other true seabird, only come to land to nest. Worldwide there are three living species of phalaropes, of which all breed in the high arctic; Wilson's, red-necked, and red (pictured here). Defying gender norms, female phalaropes are larger and more brightly colored, and leave the incubating and chick rearing duties to the smaller drabber male. Females lay up to four eggs in miniature nest cups woven into the tundra during the brief arctic summer, before migrating south again to forage in the tropics far offshore. Males eventually follow suit once the chicks have fledged. Phalaropes are a common winter occurrence off the west coast of North America, who's arrival signals a change in the seasons.
Canon EOS 60D, Canon Ef 70-200mm f/4L USM + 1.4x, ISO-200 f/6.3 @ 1/500 sec.
No comments:
Post a Comment