I heard and seen reports of a Grey Phalarope in Hove, West Sussex... as it seemed to have been around still I headed of there today.. and yes, there it was in a children's paddling pool..
I saw my first Phalarope five years ago at Home Park (Hampton Court Palace)... so five years later I saw my second!!
It was behaving typically... dashing about and feeding.. albeit surrounded by birders and photographers and not in the least bit phased by this!
I took over 100 pictures... visitors to my blog.... you'll be pleased to know, I've cut down a bit on those I've posted here...
This was so unexpected that I didn't get the wing tips in the shot... it was so close!!
The sun eventually went so I came back down to earth with a bump and headed off to Tescos for some groceries!!
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2 comments:
Well done on the Grey Phalarope - what a great sighting :) and lovely photos too :)
From your recent previous posts you've had a lot of rain!!! Hope the floods subside soon.
What a beautiful bird and your photos are so clear! I googled it and read that 'When feeding, a phalarope will often swim in a small, rapid circle, forming a small whirlpool. This behavior is thought to aid feeding by raising food from the bottom of shallow water. The bird will reach into the center of the vortex with its bill, plucking small insects or crustaceans caught up therein.
It has been shown that phalaropes use the surface tension of water to capture food particles and get them to move up along the bill and into their mouths.' Very interesting and I bet you were thrilled indeed to see it..thanks for sharing, I'd never heard or seen this bird before.
(Thanks for removing the code...much nicer ;))
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