262 ANIMAL LIFE IN THE YOSEMITE 



Occurrence. — Numerous at Mono Lake during seasons of migration. Observed May 

 24 and 27, 1916 (Dixon, MS), and in August and between September 2 and 21, 1901 

 (Fisher, 1902, p. 10). 



The Northern Phalarope is one of the small water birds that nests in 

 the far north and winters to the south of us. It thus occurs in our latitude 

 only for a brief period in spring and again in the fall. At these times it 

 is likely to appear on any body of water either east or west of the Sierran 

 divide. 



These birds are adept swimmers and gather their food from the surface 

 of the water by rapid darting movements of the head and neck. Their 

 delicate bills serve unerringly to capture the small objects which are taken 

 as food. At times a bird will spin around rapidly so as to produce a 

 miniature whirlpool or vortex and thus swirl the animalicules from below 

 up to within easy reach of its bill. Thus these birds do not need to dive 

 below the surface for their food as do so many of the water birds, as, 

 for instance, the grebes. 



Dr. Walter K. Fisher (1902, p. 8) states that in the fall of 1901 large 

 numbers of southbound Northern Phalaropes visited Mono Lake and fed 

 on the brine shrimps which abound there. The phalaropes fell easy prey 

 to hunters, who called them ' ' Mono Lake pigeons. ' ' 



Wilson Phalarope. Steganopus tricolor Vieillot 



Field characters. — Larger than Northern Phalarope; size of Robin or Killdeer, but 

 with slender head and neck, and very slender black bill. Upper surface chiefly dark 

 brown, with some black and cinnamon red at side of neck of female; a conspicuous 

 patch of white above base of tail, shown especially in flight ; under surface white except 

 for taAvny or gray area on fore neck. Swims lightly, as does the Northern Phalarope, 

 but not so habitually. 



Occurrence. — Summer visitant along east base of Sierra Nevada; dates of record at 

 or near Mono Lake: May 6 and 20, and June 23, 1916. Frequents marshy meadows and 

 margins of ponds. 



The Wilson Phalarope probably nests in wet meadows at Mono Lake 

 and south of Williams Butte ; for a female collected there on May 6, 1916, 

 contained an egg ready to be laid. Moreover, two male birds observed by 

 Mr. Dixon at Farrington's Ranch on June 23, 1916, acted as if there were 

 nests near by. Since the male of the phalarope is the sex which does most 

 or all of the work of brooding and of caring for the young, it seems likely 

 that the concern exhibited by these birds meant that they actually were 

 nesting in the vicinity. 



Unlike the Northern Phalarope, this larger species gleans most of its 

 forage when wading rather than when swimming. 



