![\"western](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/western-grebe-1031b-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWhen it comes to diet Western Grebes are fish specialists but they’re opportunistic enough to take a variety of prey, including crustaceans.<\/p>\n
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1\/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<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n In May of last year\u00a0I photographed this grebe at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge as\u00a0it swallowed a crayfish.\u00a0Due to all of its spiny appendages the\u00a0grebe\u00a0had some difficulty getting it down but eventually it was successful.\u00a0 I’ve seen and photographed Western Grebes swallowing fish many times over the years but this was the first and only time I’ve observed one with a crayfish.<\/p>\n Interestingly, Western Grebes (and their very close relatives Clark’s Grebes) are the only grebe species with the structural anatomy in the neck to allow a spear-thrusting action for taking prey as in herons and anhingas but that behavior has not been recorded in these grebes, presumably because it takes place underwater.<\/p>\n Yet another example of\u00a0avian research waiting to be done…<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When it comes to diet Western Grebes are fish specialists but they’re opportunistic enough to take a variety of prey, including crustaceans.<\/p>\n