Red-necked phalaropes (Phalaropus lobatus) are shorebirds that breed in the Arctic. While breeding, they have a reddish-wash on their necks. When not breeding, they are at home on the open ocean. According to All About Birds, a red-necked phalarope "feeds by spinning frantically in circles, drawing invertebrates up to the surface to eat." They are "usually found in small flocks, but can gather in very large numbers, especially during fall migration." The red-necked phalaropes seen in this video, in non-breeding plumage, were filmed on the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens, NY, on August 26, 2024. They were rapidly feeding in a small little "cove," and seemed to mind their own business, even though some sandpipers did knock one of them off a log.
Red-necked phalarope, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, August 26, 2024
The video was filmed on August 26, 2024. I had the birds pretty much to myself, so I was able to film using the sounds around me. There is a certain music to be heard when an A train rumbles by. And the gulls certainly add their voices to the choir.
The photos of red-necked phalaropes below were all shot on August 26, 2024, at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.
