A trio of phalaropes

 

Red-Necked Phalarope

Following Sunday's visit to Lisvane and Llanishen reservoirs in Cardiff, where I had seen three Grey Phalaropes, there was a report on Monday afternoon that there continued to be three Phalaropes present, but one of the trio had been identified as a Red-Necked Phalarope.

On reading this report of a Red-Necked Phalarope, it really piqued my interest. I have only seen this particular species from a distance, a good while ago at Goldcliff Lagoons ( read more here) and much more recently, a few days ago in Norfolk at Titchwell Marsh.

To be able to see two different species of Phalaropes at the same time would be an amazing opportunity, especially as I was on a vacation from work.

The Lisvane and Llanishen reservoirs are owned and maintained by Welsh Water and are open to the public from 9am to 5pm at this time of year. So, come Tuesday morning, I arrived on-site at about 9.45 am. 

As I made my way from the car, I met up with my good friend and fellow Goldcliff Gang member John "The Video" Lawton. John is a videographer and creates very professional and fantastic videos of birds, and you can see his work here.

We did not have to work hard to find where the Phalaropes were located - there was a line of people with scopes and cameras on the far side of Lisvane Reservoir, which was only about a 5-10 minute walk away from the car park.

I was really happy to see that the Red-Necked Phalarope continued to be present, and it was showing really well with two Grey Phalaropes.

The Trio.

I have created below a side-by-side fact table that compares the Grey Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius) and the Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus).

Feature	Grey Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius)	Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus)
Breeding Plumage	Brick-red underparts, grey back, white face; strikingly colourful in summer	Males duller, females brighter; chestnut-red neck, dark head with white cheeks
Non-breeding Plumage (UK views)	Mostly pale grey and white, giving a ghostly look	Greyish upperparts, white face and underparts, with dark cap
Size	About 20–22 cm long, chunkier build	About 18–20 cm long, slimmer and daintier
Bill	Stubbier and thicker, yellowish in winter	Fine, needle-like and black
Breeding Range	High Arctic tundra (e.g., Greenland, Svalbard, Arctic Canada)	Northern Eurasia and North America, including Iceland and northern Scotland
Wintering Range	Warmer oceans, often far offshore in the Atlantic and Pacific	Tropical oceans, especially the Arabian Sea and the Pacific coasts of South America
Migration	Long-distance migrant; passes the UK mostly during storm events	Passes through the UK more regularly, especially in autumn; some breed in Shetland/Western Isles
Habitat in the UK (passage)	Found inland after storms, on reservoirs, lakes, and flooded fields	Seen on freshwater lochs, pools, and reservoirs, especially in Scotland and coastal sites
Feeding Behaviour	Spins on water to stir up food; takes crustaceans and zooplankton	Similar spinning behaviour; feeds mostly on small invertebrates and plankton
Sex Roles	Females are brighter; males incubate eggs and rear young	Same unusual role reversal: females court, males incubate
Conservation Status (UK)	Scarce passage migrant; occasionally inland during gales	Breeds in small numbers in Scotland; otherwise a passage migrant; Amber-listed in the UK
Notable Sightings in the UK	Usually associated with autumn gales blowing birds inland	More regular passage migrant; Shetland and Orkney are good breeding strongholds

Grey Phalarope( Left) and Red-Necked Phalarope (Right)

The Phalaropes were almost constantly feeding. When on the water, they use their feet to swirl water underneath them - this often results in them spinning around, a key identification characteristic if viewing Phalaropes from a distance. The movement of the feet causes mini currents in the water, which results in food - invertebrates/plankton coming to the surface, which the Phalaropes then daintily peck at.

Red-Necked Phalarope

Grey Phalarope

However, we were treated to watching these tiny waders feed on wind-blown pond weed that had gathered at the edge of the reservoir.

This provided an opportunity to view their feet out of the water.

The word “phalarope” comes from the Greek meaning -

• phalaris (φαλαρίς) = “coot” (a kind of waterbird, with a blunt head and lobed toes)

• pous / podos (πούς / ποδός) = “foot”

So, phalarope literally means “coot-footed”.

That’s a nod to their unusual lobed toes, which are a bit like a coot’s. Unlike the fully webbed feet of a duck, each toe has lobes that help them paddle and spin on the water like little clockwork whirlpools. It’s a perfect name for birds that are half dainty wader, half aquatic spinner.

Loved feet like a coot.

What’s especially interesting about these birds is that despite having “wader” vibes, phalaropes spend a huge chunk of their lives out at sea, bobbing around like mini-seabirds—almost like coots who decided to take up an oceanic career.

It was really thrilling to watch these wonderful, rare birds grace our Welsh waters in order to take shelter from the storm. As ever, there was a great turnout of happy birders, many of whom I know very well, and I enjoyed the catch-up with friends.

Grey Phalarope with a dodgy left eye.

On another note, one of the Grey Phalaropes appeared to have an issue with its right eye, as it always had its eyelid shut. This reminded me of my own predicament as I lost the best part of my eyesight in my left eye several years ago, and hence the name of my blog - Oculus means eye in Latin. The bird seemed very healthy and was coping without any obvious problems.