Nearly all red phalarope records in Ohio come from the fall season, when
they have the latest schedule of migration among the phalaropes, with
one Ohio record of over-wintering. In fall, their plumage is not always
easy to distinguish from other phalaropes' drab colors.
        In spring, however, red phalaropes are even more splendid in plumage
than their congeners, especially the females [check your field
guide--these birds are polyandrous, with reversed sexual roles and
plumages]. Peterjohn (p. 214) calls red phalaropes "strictly accidental
spring visitors" anywhere in the state. He cites five spring records in
Ohio, and this is the first for Franklin County. There is only one known
spring *specimen* of red phalarope in Ohio, from Ottawa County on
5/22/1964, and it's in the OSU Museum.
        The only time I've seen the striking female red phalarope in breeding
plumage was out off the Maine coast years ago. The bird at Battelle
Darby MP is nearly unique here, so I hope nobody spooks it. There are
plenty of excellent photos on the Web already...
Bill Whan
Columbus


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