Hot on the heels of the first red-backed shrike for Vange Marsh comes another first for the reserve!
A cracking juvenile red-necked phalarope was found late morning yesterday, and attracted a steady flow of admirers throughout the afternoon. Phalaropes are the only wader that habitually swim on water, and our juvenile did just that on the freshmarsh while picking food from the surface of the water. The man-made viewing mounds along the northern edge of the marsh provide that extra elevation for freat views of the phalarope. One spoonbill remains, along with spotted redshanks, greenshanks, common and green sandpipers and one little stint.
Red-necked phalarope at Vange Marsh by Stephen Allen