Brutkey

Richard Rathe
@nickrauchen@c.im

Photos from a recent trip to #MonoLake in #California

https://richard.mdpaths.com/travel/california/mono_lake/index.html

Here is our first glimpse of from a highway turnout after going over a pass into the lake basin.

#NaturePhotography

Richard Rathe
@nickrauchen@c.im

Wilson's Phalaropes on #MonoLake

https://richard.mdpaths.com/travel/california/mono_lake/index.html

We were lucky to see a small flock of #WilsonsPhalarope since this is the extreme edge of there summer range. I'm not sure if they were nesting or just passing thru.

Wilson's is one of only two North American bird species where the female has brighter breeding plumage than the male. (The other is the Belted Kingfisher.)

"Unlike most birds where the female has the predominant role in caring for young, female phalaropes desert their mates once they’ve laid eggs. While the male raises the young by himself, the female looks for other males to mate with. This unusual mating system is called polyandry, and it’s reflected in the way the two sexes look, with the females more brightly colored than the males." https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wilsons_Phalarope

#Birds #NaturePhotography