Far From Land The Mysterious Lives of Seabirds

62 | Chapter 4

and the Galápagos Islands. Returning to Fetlar in spring, the phalarope
more or less recapitulated its southbound route.
Since that study, further work has confirmed that phalaropes from
Iceland and Greenland also winter in the Pacific while their fellow phal-
aropes breeding in northern Scandinavia do head to the Arabian Sea.
Without question, this migratory split in the north- east Atlantic was
wholly unanticipated.
That said, it is no surprise that different populations of seabirds fre-
quently use different non- breeding areas, reached by different routes.
Sooty Shearwaters breeding on islands off New Zealand head to the
North Pacific when not breeding, while their Falklands counterparts
head to the North Atlantic. So far, so obvious. But as modern technol-
ogy allows more detailed delving into the variety of patterns, it has
become evident that there is an almost infinite variety in the extent to

The approximate route and timing of the autumn and spring migrations

of a male Red- necked Phalarope breeding in the Shetland Isles and

wintering in the Pacific Ocean. Map re- drawn, with permission, from

http://www.bou.org.uk/red-necked-phalarope-pacific-ocean/.

6 days

7 days

20

May

Early

Sept.

Mid

Sept.

Mid Oct.–

End of April

27 May

battery

died

1 August