Wow! What a surprise. I was taking some folks from my church out to the beach birding and we stopped at the freshwater pond off the North Beach. It was quiet with no herons or egrets, several barn swallows swooping and diving, and tons of turtles sunning on the bank.
Then, all of a sudden, I saw a small bird swimming and feeding rather frenetically at the edge of the pond. A quick glimpse at the thin bill, orange neck and white throat told me that a female Red-necked Phalarope in breeding plumage had made a stop on Tybee. Water levels in the pond were as high as I've ever seen them after all the rain.
I returned to the pond with Russ Wigh two hours later but Mrs. Phalarope was nowhere to be found.
Others looked later in the day with no success. What a lucky find!
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| Red-necked Phalarope Female |
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| Red-necked Phalarope Flies |
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| Red-necked Phalarope Feeds |
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| Success - breakfast! |
