Tag: clarks grebe

Can’t We Go Any Faster Dad?

I’ll preface this post with an apology for the cutesy title.  I usually avoid them at all costs but in this case I just couldn’t help myself…  (I’m making the assumption that the adult bird here is the male because of its straight bill but it’s a subtle distinction and I could be wrong). For the last few days we’ve been having a great time with Clark’s and Western Grebes and their chicks.  Both sexes of both species brood their chicks on their backs (back brooding) from almost the moment they hatch until they are quite large.  I’ve seen up to three chicks of about this size on the back of a single adult, although by the time they get this size the other parent often shares the burden.    1/1600, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc When I first saw this image of a Clark’s Grebe and its chick on my screen I assumed it was simply another case of the youngster having just jumped onto the back of the adult (as evidenced by the position of the feet and the direction of the water splash).  But now I’m quite convinced that the adult was actually allowing the youngster to act as an outboard motor of sorts as the chick seems to be providing the propulsion as the parent relaxes.  If so, and I think it is, in all the time I’ve spent watching these birds this is the first time I’ve noticed such interesting behavior.     I offer this image as further evidence of my theory…

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A Mixed Bag Of Recent Birds

These images were all taken over the last eight days, either at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge or Antelope Island.  Another one of my “potpourri” posts with no common theme except “feathers”.    1/640, f/7.1, ISO 640, 500 f/4 The Willets have finally come up on the island for their mating activities (as opposed to the shoreline for recuperation after migration) and I like to try to catch them perched high on the sagebrush where they call loudly to other Willets.       1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc Western Meadowlarks are in their glory right now and their distinctive songs reverberate all over the island.      1/5000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc I got closer to this one than I usually can.      1/1600, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4  This Loggerhead Shrike was grooming peacefully when I noticed a distinct change in its behavior.      1/1250, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4 A Common Raven flew low overhead and this was the shrike’s reaction.  It flattened its body out almost into a bullet shape and pointed that bullet at the raven as it passed.  I’m guessing it was an instinctive behavior to present the smallest profile possible to a larger bird that might be a potential threat.  It was comical to watch it turn as the raven flew by to keep its body pointed in the larger birds direction.      1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc I’m always happy to catch a Chukar perched on a boulder, especially when it isn’t one of the…

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Why Grebes Eat Feathers

Grebes, as a group, are known for eating feathers – usually their own.  The obvious question is – why?  There would be virtually no nutritional value in a feather.   Clark’s Grebe eating a feather I’ve photographed four species of grebes – Western Grebe, Clarks Grebe (these two are very similar), Pied-billed Grebe and Eared Grebe.  I’ve been able to document feather eating in all but the Eared Grebe.     Western Grebe parent feeding feather to young Over a period of perhaps a half hour I watched this adult feed several feathers to the chicks, who seemed almost as eager to consume the feathers as they did the fish provided by the parents.      Western Grebe chick reaching for a feather from its parent  Feathers are fed to the young almost immediately after hatching.  In fact, feathers are very often the first item eaten by newly hatched chicks of many grebe species. The purpose(s) of feather eating is unproven but evidence suggests that the behavior has these benefits for the birds.  Some of the ingested feathers form a plug in the pylorus, between the stomach and small intestine, which acts as a strainer to keep fish bones in the stomach long enough to be completely digested.  Most swallowed feathers end up in the stomach lumen, mixed with food.  They eventually (along with any indigestible matter) form pellets that are ejected through the mouth.  The continuous passage of these pellets through the upper digestive system minimizes the buildup of a variety of parasites that are very common there and plague grebes.    Pied-billed…

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