This morning, May 16, 2013, there was a Wilson's Phalarope in Billingsley marsh. It was feeding with two Lesser Yellowlegs and a flock of Least Sandpipers on the big mudflat along Railroad Creek and was last seen flying north or northeast with the yellowlegs. The Leasts stayed for a few more minutes until the mud was entirely underwater.
Billingsley Marsh is the wetland north of where the Western Branch enters the Patuxent River. It is best viewed from Mount Calvert although I am pretty sure this mudflat is not visible from dry land.
Although the view was not the best -- fairly distant and from a rocking boat -- the identification is pretty straightforward. It appeared a little smaller and slimmer than the yellowlegs (but substantially larger than the Leasts). The light rusty patch on the side of its upper breast and lower neck is what drew our attention to the bird. It had a thick, black band across its face which separated its light forehead and cap from its equally light throat, neck and underparts. I did not get a useful look at either its bill or legs. When the bird took flight we all noted its plain upperwings (i.e no wing stripe). Perhaps it is due to old age, or perhaps just the couple of decades that have elapsed since I last observed alternate plumage phalaropes (or any phalaropes in flight), but I was expecting a Wilson's to have a prominent white wing stripe. Not seeing it bothered me at the time; I attributed its absence to the brief view and less-than-ideal conditions.
I have not found any illustrations that exactly match what I saw on this bird although I believe the light underparts and the lack of a dark cap eliminates the other two phalaropes and the thick black bar across its face suggests an alternate plumage female.
Good birds appear when the camera is staying dry in the car.
David Mozurkewich Seabrook MD
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