Red-necked Phalarope (and BirdCam Project alum) released in San Francisco Bay

Red-Necked Phalarope at SF Bay Center
Photo by Cheryl Reynolds

If you’ve been to our BirdCam Project page lately, you may have seen this Red-necked Phalarope. On August 29, the bird came into care at our San Francisco Bay center not holding its wing in a normal posture, and X-rays revealed a fractured coracoid. The wing was wrapped, and the bird was housed in a hospital pool during its recovery. For a few weeks, many of you watched this bird in his pool, plucking small invertebrates from soda caps and dipping them into the water before eating.

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Phalarope in early days of care, photo by Isabel Luevano

Once the wrap was removed, the bird held his wing in a normal posture and began to flap more and more normally. On September 19, this phalarope was beginning to fly, so we moved him to a large pelagic pool, where he began rigorously practicing flight.

After this bird’s flight was evaluated (the phalarope was flying around the pool like a hummingbird, our staff noted!), we released him at Ft. Baker in the San Francisco Bay.

Here, Pelican Partner Janet Williams releases the phalarope after her pelican release.

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Release photos by Kathy Koehler

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