I'm not so sure you were wrong the first time. I went to the new Cedar Bridge site yesterday around noon and found Greater Yellowlegs and Lesser Yellowlegs walking plus what I believe were two phalaropes swimming. The birds were all distant. The size differences were pronounced and proportionate to what the books say. The Greaters were over twice the size of the swimmers even when almost side by side and the Lessers in between. I did see one of the swimmers briefly walk and fly. Its legs were much shorter and not as yellow. Beak was very thin, straight, shorter than the other birds and clearly needle-like. Clearer light breast. Different proportions on the body than the walkers. While swimming, it constantly pecked at the water in all directions. (No spinning though). Over by the Old Cedar Bridge platform: lots of Mallards, Canada Geese, Widgeon, a few Northern Pintails, Northern Shovelers, Green-winged Teal, maybe one Wood Duck, lots of Ring-billed Gulls and several Trumpeter Swans. Very few songbirds around. Once each Great Egret and Great Blue Heron. No Cattle Egret by either old or new bridge. -----Original Message----- From: Minnesota Birds [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Arjun Guneratne Sent: Friday, October 24, 2014 2:56 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [mou-net] Wilson's Phalaropes at the Bass Ponds -- correction My earlier report of two Wilson's Phalaropes at the Bass Ponds was a misidentification. I went back today to see whether I could find them again and realized I had been looking at two Gt. Yellowlegs swimming. A classic case, I'm afraid, of "expectation bias." -- Arjun Guneratne Professor of Anthropology Department of Anthropology Macalester College Saint Paul, MN 55105 Phone: (651) 696-6362 Fax: (651) 696-6324 ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html