Hello. This is the first blog with a specific focus on one of the special species, I am fortunate enough to work with. Today’s blog will cover our work in Shetland for this special species and what we are doing/plan to do for this diminutive little wader.
Shetland holds a significant percentage of the UK’s population of breeding phalaropes. With the majority spending the summer months in Fetlar.
We manage 5 sites across Fetlar and 2 in Unst for phalaropes and monitor many more besides. One of our biggest challenges is trying to ensure visitors can safely view this schedule 1 protected species, without causing disturbance. Phalaropes, can be easily disturbed, and unlike many species, they don’t necessarily show they are disturbed as other species might do by a change of behaviour.
Due to their minimal exposure to humans in their lives, they can be unnerved by excessive disturbance on breeding grounds, and abandon territory as a result. The biggest risk however, is disturbance or even damage to their nests and chicks.
Red- necked phalaropes will often nest a good distance away from a pool system as well as at the waters edge, meaning someone trying to approach the vicinity of a pool, is walking straight through nesting habitat. The nests are very well concealed in tussocks of vegetation, or occasionally in a nest cup loosely covered over by vegetation. Add the fact that their chicks are absolutely tiny, (the size of your thumb) and it is then not a great cocktail for the presence of boots and wellies to be walking through these areas. It is also illegal, without a schedule 1 licence to do this knowing phalaropes are in the area.
So, with all that in mind, we have to try and facilitate safe responsible viewing of these special birds without causing the risks above.
This season, we set up a view point along the side of the road at Mires of Houbie where visitors could safely view the birds present (up to 8 on-site here this year). Mires of Funzie (pronounced Finny), is the most visitor friendly site with a hide overlooking the pools and mires. However we have been making improvements to the hydrology on-site here, and until the site is extensively cattle grazed (this autumn coming) the site will not be in peak condition for phalaropes. So fingers crossed for next season!
Our other sites are not accessible to visitors, due to the risk of disturbance.
We have carried out lots of digging work to clear vegetation and keep the balance between open water (for displaying) and emergent vegetation (to feed and shelter). Grazing is the other important aspect of management, this provides excellent structure for nesting, as well as invertebrates as a result of the cattle dung, amongst other factors.
The 2021 breeding season has been a good one! Hot on the heels of a Shetland high, 66 apparent breeding males in 2020, the early indications (numbers to be crunched) look good again. We focus on the number of males showing breeding behaviour over a number of visits. Females are noted too but aren’t used to equate breeding birds, due to the role reversal in the species and the prominence being on the males to brood, rear and tend to young. The added project this year was to colour ring any phalarope chicks we encountered on our sites, to look at productivity (survival rates), as well as movements of birds potentially colonising new areas.
A successful first year of the project with 30 chicks colour ringed (on managed sites only). This will hopefully lead to re-sightings in future years once they have made their epic migration to the coast of Ecuador and Peru, where they spend the winter months.
The vast majority of our phalaropes have now headed off on migration. Making their way westwards, before following the coast of the USA and down to the seas off Peru and Ecuador. Before they depart our final survey visits largely consist of remaining male birds, and their well grown chicks. The colour ringing will be very useful in giving us some further information on survival within broods. It is quite normal for a brood of 4 chicks to result in only 1 juvenile being seen at a later stage.
They certainly are a special little bird, and we will continue to strive to ensure sites are in prime condition come their hopeful return in May.
I will reveal the total numbers for 2021 in due course once official data has been compiled.
Shetland birds and work 
Any evidence that individuals are in Shetland one year and north Norway the next or that females move on during the breeding season and pair up again? Any previous on juvenile.s returning to breed natal area? Fascinating article
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Hi Pete- previous ringing of adults shows that birds return here each year. Often site loyal, but not always the case. We have had colour ringed adults breeding elsewhere in Shetland than where they were ringed, but this likely due to external factors like weather, site condition, water levels etc. Yes females will of course re-partner if they’ve laid quite early, some actually are pretty partner loyal and even help rear the young despite most literature. But the majority will leave the male to it and move off. On sites with high densities they chase other males looking to get partnered again, but on low population sites, they will move off elsewhere- depending on timing in season whether they bother attempting to mate again. And finally- yes juveniles do return to same sites, but as with adults not always consistent if other factors such as weather, site condition etc effect this.
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