Phalaropes fly in front of tufa and the Mono Craters. Photo by Bartshe Miller.

Visit the shores of Mono Lake this weekend, and you’ll be in for a treat. Driving north of town along Highway 395, you might see shimmering clouds moving low over the lake in the morning sun. Make your way closer, perhaps down to the South Tufa boardwalk, and you’ll see that these clouds are flocks of tiny birds—phalaropes—that have stopped in at Mono Lake’s All-You-Can-Eat Fly & Shrimp Buffet.

Wilson’s and Red-Necked Phalaropes are here in numbers that have not been seen in many years, and the result is a spectacular (more…)