For those in the northern hemisphere (of planet Earth), happy first full day of summer 2025! And what better way to celebrate than birds? (Guess you could celebrate insect bites or heat stroke [heat advisory PSA], but those are difficult to attractively photograph.) Speaking of birds, the big news this week at Presque Isle State Park was multiple confirmed sightings of a rarely-seen-at-Gull Point male Wilson’s Phalarope, e.g., as shown here (breeding plumage) late yesterday afternoon:
In addition to the male, anywhere from 2-4 chicks were also reported (2 are shown below). This might be the first confirmed nesting/hatching at Gull Point (Pennsylvania generally?) ever.
Generally, female Wilson’s Phalaropes depart after laying eggs, leaving the male to care for the chicks. Hence, not unexpected to only see a male in this context.
As shown here, chicks are self-reliant for foraging for insects, etc.:
[Editor’s note: Scientific name for this species is Phalaropus tricolor. Hint to the AOS renaming committee: ‘Tricolored Phalarope.’]