I first saw a few of these last Spring at Crescent Lake NWR in Nebraska.
http://www.whatbird.com/forums/photos/nieblas_gallery/category1243/picture16825.aspx
Last week, at Quivira NWR in Kansas, they were abundant. Flocks of several hundred were foraging on the salt marshes.
The water was deeper than usual, which presented problems for some of the waders. However, unlike many sandpipers, phalaropes are very comfortable foraging while swimming atop the water, where they spin rapidly in tiny frantic circles: sometimes they reminded me of cats chasing their tails.
http://www.whatbird.com/forums/photos/nieblas_gallery/category1511/picture38489.aspx
Chris from Denver
