<\/p>\n
![\"western](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/western-grebe-1212-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
1\/2000, f\/8, ISO 500, Canon 40D,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n I photographed this adult Western Grebe and chick at Bear River MBR in July of 2009. By the time I was able to get my lens trained on them the parent had already snagged the feather from the surface of the water and was presenting it to the youngster who was obviously eager to accept it. But immediately after this shot…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/2000, f\/8, ISO 500, Canon 40D,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n the adult moved the feather out of reach so the chick momentarily lost interest.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/2000, f\/8, ISO 500, Canon 40D,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n But the parent continued to dangle the feather in front of its offspring and interest was renewed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/2000, f\/8, ISO 500, Canon 40D,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n The chick lunged for it several times but it was always\u00a0kept just out of reach.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/2000, f\/8, ISO 500, Canon 40D,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n The adult held the feather in plain view of the chick for several more\u00a0seconds and then…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/1600, f\/8, ISO 500, Canon 40D,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n deliberately dropped into the water and just out of reach.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/1600, f\/8, ISO 500, Canon 40D,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n The youngster almost looked dejected as it watched the feather slowly drift behind them.<\/p>\n I can only guess what was really going on here. Most feathers eaten by grebes are soft down feathers or small contour feathers\u00a0pulled out during preening\u00a0but this one appeared to be a larger contour feather with a\u00a0significant stiff quill so it may have been a bit too large and “prickly” for the chick to eat\u00a0and the parent knew it. Perhaps the adult was only teasing the young bird into an interest in eating feathers, though\u00a0I’ve seen chicks this young eating slightly smaller\u00a0feathers several times\u00a0in the past. Whatever the motivation for the behavior I was fascinated to watch it\u00a0through my lens.<\/p>\n The reason for feather-eating in grebes is\u00a0complex, not fully understood and beyond the scope of this blog post but I’ve covered that subject here<\/a> if you have the interest.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Many grebe species are well-known for eating feathers, both as adults and as youngsters. The behavior documented in this series may have been the parent encouraging its chick to have an interest in this new item in its “diet”.<\/p>\n![\"western](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/western-grebe-1219-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"western](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/western-grebe-1222-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"western](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/western-grebe-1224-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"western](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/western-grebe-1229-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"western](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/western-grebe-1231-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"western](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/western-grebe-1233-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\n