Red-necked Phalarope at LMGP

This Red-necked Phalarope was found at Little Marlow Gravel Pit on 8th September 2022 by local birder Dave Ferguson. Dave only had binoculars with him and was unsure of which species of Phalarope it was. He very quickly put the news out and very soon a few local birders were on-site and were able to confirm the ID as a Red-necked.

Red-necked Phalarope (Four photos copyright Gary Watton)

The bird seemed unsettled as it frequently flew short distances but it kept returning to it’s favoured spot towards the SW corner of the lake. It did however remain until the following day at least.

Some photos of the previous birds can be found at this link. http://bucksbirdclub.co.uk/Pictures/RedNeckPhalarope.htm

Heavy rain was the feature of much of the afternoon. This may have deterred the bird from leaving. (photo copyright Dave Parmenter)

A short video clip taken by Jim Rose

There have been only eight previous records of this species in the county, most of them in the north of the county. This is the second sighting at Little Marlow, the first being on 7th June 2020.