Wilson's Phalaropes, Phalaropus tricolor, feeding on the playa wetlands of the Great Salt Lake. The lake supports hundreds of thousands of these birds. The brine shrimp and brine flies in the lake provide food to fuel their migration to Mar Chiquita (Argentina) and other wintering grounds. Some birds also nest at the Great Salt Lake.


The photo was taken from the Antelope Island automobile causeway on 19 June 2012. Gulls were also abundant along the causeway where they were feeding on brine fly adults. Some gulls are visible in the upper right of the photo.


Limnology - The study of inland waters