![\"pied-billed](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/pied-billed-grebe-5991-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\u00a01\/1600, f\/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n This grebe surfaced with a young carp…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a01\/1600, f\/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n that was almost too big to swallow –\u00a0this species is notorious for\u00a0biting off more than\u00a0they can chew when it comes to fish size.\u00a0 These grebes repeatedly pinch fish with their powerful mandibles, killing them by damaging internal organs and then swallow them whole, headfirst.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a01\/1600, f\/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n After the grebe had worked over the fish for a few moments it deliberately dropped it into the water and watched it below the surface for perhaps 3-4 seconds\u00a0before\u00a0retrieving it.\u00a0 Over the years\u00a0I’ve watched hundreds of\u00a0Pied-billed Grebes with fish prey and in my experience this species nearly always drops the fish into the water and watches it before proceeding with its meal.\u00a0 It’s my suspicion that the purpose of this predictable behavior is to verify that the fish is dead (or sufficiently stunned) before swallowing it\u00a0but I don’t know that for sure.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a01\/1600, f\/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0The grebe then retrieved the fish…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a01\/1600, f\/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0and swallowed it, though it struggled to do so.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a01\/2000, f\/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n 35 minutes earlier I photographed another grebe with prey but take a close look at this fish.\u00a0 It’s eel-like body is very different from that of the young carp.\u00a0 This is an invasive weather loach, a species I’ve\u00a0documented at Farmington in the past.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a01\/2000, f\/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n As per usual, the grebe beat up on the fish before swallowing it (and yes, this grebe also dropped the fish before consuming it).<\/p>\n It was almost exactly 6 years ago today (December 12, 2007)\u00a0that I photographed a Common Goldeneye swallowing a weather loach.\u00a0 Then, about a year later, I photographed a Snowy Egret with a weather loach.\u00a0 (both events can be seen here<\/a>).\u00a0 Based on a conversation I had at the time with one of the DNR employees at the refuge, management personnel were unaware of the presence of the species in their marshes.<\/p>\n Then about a month ago I photographed a Greater Yellowlegs with a loach, documented here<\/a>.\u00a0 And now this example with the grebe.<\/p>\n I’m not specifically an ecologist or ichthyologist by training but I’m becoming increasingly concerned by the presence of the weather loach in the marshes of the Great Salt Lake.\u00a0 The negative implications of the presence of invasive species are often not fully understood until it’s too late.\u00a0 State officials are now aware of the presence of the fish though I have no idea if the potential problem is being addressed in any way.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Yesterday morning the Pied-billed Grebes at Farmington were having a bit of a feeding frenzy and I was able to capture several instances of interesting feeding behavior.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n