This will make two posts in a row about Pied-billed Grebes. Normally I try to avoid posting photos of the same species in back-to-back posts but these photos were taken at a different pond on a different day and I liked one photo in this series in particular, so I decided to run with it.
Readers already know that four days ago I felt encouraged by being able to walk some distance to a pond, and shoot from my tripod for a while, without aggravating my bad back. So two days ago I walked 3-4 times as far around a different pond and stood in front of my tripod for nearly an hour. Typical of me, I pushed it a little too far and a little too fast so I was hurting for the rest of the day.
But I recovered more quickly than usual and I got a few shots that I found interesting. The second photo below is one of them.
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
When this Pied-billed Grebe caught a fish ‘he’ wasn’t as close as I prefer but he was turned at a pretty good angle to the partial side light so I took a lot of shots of him. By the time these photos were taken the fish was already dead but the grebe continued to manipulate the fish in his bill for quite a while.
I think he was just playing with it, perhaps as a form of practice in handling such slippery prey.
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Suddenly the fish went flying.
When these grebes have crayfish or frog prey it isn’t unusual for me to see body parts flying through the air as the grebes are dismembering prey prior to swallowing. But it’s rare for me to document a fish flying through the air, since they typically swallow fish prey whole.
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
The next shot in the burst. I didn’t get any more photos of the fish in the air or hitting the water so I must have taken my finger off of the shutter button.
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Then he started looking for the fish beneath the surface.
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
It didn’t take him long to find and retrieve it. Naturally, he turned his back on me to swallow the fish.
I quite like that second shot. Both bird and fish are sharp with good light on them and I think the behavior is interesting. And my timing couldn’t have been better.
By the way. On that morning I tried a new strategy for trying to reduce my camera gear load while walking to, from and around the pond. Well, it may not be new but it’s been 13-14 years since I’ve used it.
I resurrected a golf cart that I converted to a gear carrier many years ago and haven’t used since. It worked really well. It will also carry my tripod but on this morning I just carried my tripod in my hand. The tripod is big and sturdy but it’s constructed of carbon fiber so it’s light and really no trouble to carry.
It’s that damn lens that bites me in the butt. Literally.
So even though I pushed it a little too far on that morning, I’m still encouraged. I’ll just cut down on how far I walk and how long I stand in front of my tripod and continue to visit some of the ponds that have been off limits to me for years.
At least that’s my plan. We’ll see how it goes.
Ron
Excellent contraption, Ron! Love both Grebe photos!
Thanks, on both counts Joanne.
Bon courage and best wishes for continued healing! Your posts are part of my life and I so appreciate them! Thank you! And come visit the remarkable East sometime!
Thank you, Mary. For the good wishes and for the invitation.
What a fun series. The grebe playing with the fish is hilarious — especially the “oops” and subsequent search. Glad he found it and sent it down the hatch.
I’m sorry you pushed a little too hard on that day, but happy that you bounced back quickly. Hopefully, you’ll soon find your sweet spot and be able to get out to some of your old haunts without any after-effects.
Thanks, Marty. I’m working on finding that sweet spot.
Sorry to hear of your mobility problems. I have a suggestion. I am 80 and recently had a total knee replacement and starting about 10 weeks after the operation I acquired a very useful camera friendly four wheel walker known as a Rollator, $70 from Amazon, made by Medline. I can walk long distances with it on paved surfaces, and short distances on non-paved. Plus it has a built in seat so I can sit at any time. When I’m seated it is a great camera platform, offering stable support for my camera from a seated position. Also I can carry a spare camera in the compartment under the seat. Also I can carry my tripod collapsed and strapped to the seat with a bungee cord. Best $70 I’ve spent in a long time.
Thanks for the tip, Robert. I’ll check it out.
Good afternoon Ron and others:
I recently moved to Hooper, UT and drive 177, or the West Davis freeway, to get to and from work. For those who don’t know, Hooper borders the great Salt Lake in south west Weber County. The West Davis freeway is a fun drive as it mostly borders the meadows between civilization and the Great Salt Lake. At least I think the Lake or remnants of it are out there somewhere. What has surprised me when I drive that road in the morning are the numbers of birds of prey I see in the trees and other structures along the west side of the road. One of these days I expect to see you Ron pulled off to the side of the road taking photographs. Although, I am not sure I go to work early enough.
Brad
Brad, I drive that highway regularly when I’m on my way to Antelope Island. Not sure it would be safe, or legal, to pull off the road to photograph birds.
Of course you had to test your limits – to the limit.
Take it easy please – says the woman who is a very slow learner.
What a wonderful sequence and hooray for being able to reclaim a part of your life you thought was gone forever.
“Of course you had to test your limits – to the limit.”
You’ve got me pegged, EC. As you can imagine, as a kid (and even later) I drove my poor mother nuts.
My take on photo #2 is “Ack, that fish tastes terrible!”😁 They are really cute birds – kind of reminds me of a kitten. So it’s a little disappointing to read about their propensity to fight and steal each other’s food. Too bad – cute doesn’t necessarily equal nice!
Thanks for including the photo of your lens cart – a great idea that can be used for all kinds to toting! Glad your back is holding up, but as others are saying – don’t overdo it!
Carolyn, my take on their aggressiveness is that it makes me appreciate them even more. But then I’m a photographer who really likes documenting behaviors.
My take is the small bullhead managed to stick the grebe with one of the spikes in either a pectoral or dorsal fin.
Who knows, could be.
The second image is a real nice capture. Using the golf cart this way will certainly not lead to “A good walk ruined”!
Thanks, Bruce. #2 is also my favorite.
It’s such a good thing that you’ve been “handy” all your life–able
to jerry-rig solutions as needed ( I’m sure that growing up on a farm
enforces those skills )….best use for a golf cart I’ve yet seen ! I
enjoyed the first several shots of the ( juvenile ?) grebe playing
with his food and practicing his food-handler’s skills……..
Thank you, Kris. This grebe is an adult but the one in the link I provided is a juvie, as indicated by the facial markings.
Excellent photos Ron. I have watched that behavior many times, but never Got photos. They are always fortunate when alone can take their time with getting the fish down. I am sure you have seen them fight off intruders as I have. It can get pretty wild.
Great idea with the golf cart. I have lifted some of my photo friends equipment and it can really get heavy. I have one friend almost my age who lifts weights so that he can carry his gear.
“I am sure you have seen them fight off intruders as I have.”
Everett, that’s a big part of the reason I took so many photos of this grebe. I kept expecting one of the other nearby grebes to rush in and challenge him for the fish. That happened several times that morning, but not this time.
“Typical of me, I pushed it a little too far and a little too fast so I was hurting for the rest of the day.” I wondered how long it would take for this to happen. I am so glad you are able to do some walking and standing in front of your tripod, but try to go at it gradually! Great shots of the grebe and the minnow. Would it be a good idea to put some type of cushioning between the lens hood and the metal of the converted golf cart?
“I wondered how long it would take for this to happen”
Dave, we have to find out where our limits are! 🙂
My rubberized Lens Coat and the rubber ring in front of the hood already cushion it reasonably well. Additionally, see my response to Michael McNamara below.
Love the flying fish. The grebe looks quite pleased with its toss. Great use of surplus equipment. Do you have any extra foam padding to add to rest the lens?
Thanks, Brett. At this point I don’t think it needs any more padding. It’s cushioned pretty well by the lens coat and the rubber ring in front of the lens hood.
Nice! Appeared the Grebe may have had hold of a fin that might have broken off? Whatever – he DID retrieve it however…….. 😉
Golf cart is a great idea for the lens! “Repurpasing” probably goes back you your farm days – Joe/we do it a lot……. 😉
Glad the back is still cooperating even if you over did a bit…… 🙂
Yes, he was holding on to a pelvic fin. They often do that.
Good point about repurposing and my farm days. You’re probably right. Thanks, Judy.
Great sequence catch!
Practicing or playing with its food? I guess that can be one in the same. That second one is a keeper.
Have never seen a rig like that before. Repurposing genius. I would think that there would be more padding to protect it from the bumps though.
“I would think that there would be more padding to protect it from the bumps though.”
Michael, my lens takes a much more serious beating while it’s in my lens caddy in my pickup when I’m on rough dirt roads than it does on that cart. Besides, I can and do manipulate the cart slowly and carefully over bumps.