![\"western](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/western-grebe-1016-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWestern Grebes are almost exclusively fish-eaters but yesterday morning at Bear River MBR I photographed one consuming a crayfish (a crustacean).<\/p>\n
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\u00a01\/1000, f\/7.1 ISO 640, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n I’ve been photographing Western Grebes for almost eight years now and this is the first one I’ve ever seen eating anything other than a fish (though I have seen them consuming feathers which\u00a0are a dietary aid for them rather than a food item).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a01\/800, f\/7.1 ISO 640, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n It maneuvered the crayfish so it went down “tail”-first, probably to accommodate the\u00a0awkward angle and large size of the chelipeds or claws (most prey items that are swallowed whole are swallowed head-first).\u00a0 The bird struggled a little to get it down but not much.<\/p>\n After seeing this feeding episode I wondered just how unusual this food item was so I did a little research.\u00a0 The Birds of North America Online (Cornell) has this to say about the diet of Western Grebes: “Fish reported to compose 81%\u00a0 to virtually 100% of diet.”\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>Because of their fish-laden diet pellet casting in Western Grebes is unusual.\u00a0 It’s thought that when it does occur it probably does so with individual birds who have been eating invertebrates with chitinous exoskeletons (like crayfish).<\/p>\n I’ve photographed a variety of other\u00a0species casting pellets and\u00a0from my research\u00a0I now know the behavior that immediately precedes pellet casting in Western Grebes (several drinking movements) so I’ve got to admit that I’ll now be looking for the very long-shot opportunity to photograph one of these birds casting a pellet.\u00a0 After all, I once photographed a Western Kingbird casting a pellet <\/a>and at the time BNA said that they had “no information” on that behavior with the species.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n![\"western](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/western-grebe-1032-ron-dudley.jpg\")
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