![\"clarks-grebe-6924\"](\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/clarks-grebe-6924.jpg\" "\\"clarks-grebe-6924\\"")
<\/p>\nI’ll preface this post with an apology for the cutesy title.\u00a0 I usually avoid them at all costs but in this case I just couldn’t help myself…\u00a0 (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).<\/p>\n
For the last few days we’ve been having a great time with Clark’s and Western Grebes and their chicks.\u00a0\u00a0Both sexes of both species\u00a0brood their chicks on their backs (back brooding)\u00a0from almost the moment they hatch until they are quite large.\u00a0 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\u00a0often shares the burden.<\/p>\n
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\u00a01\/1600, f\/8, ISO 400, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc<\/p>\n
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).\u00a0 But now I’m quite convinced that the adult was actually\u00a0allowing the youngster to act as an outboard motor of sorts as the chick seems to be providing the propulsion as the parent relaxes.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
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![\"western-grebe-6917\"](\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/western-grebe-6917.jpg\" "\\"western-grebe-6917\\"")
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I offer this image as further evidence of my theory (and for no other reason as it’s not a very good shot).\u00a0\u00a0 It was taken seven clicks before the previous image and you can see that the chick was already on the adults back and in paddling mode.<\/p>\n
Behaviors such as this\u00a0fascinate (and amuse) me.\u00a0 It almost reminds me of a\u00a0human parent\u00a0letting their young child sit\u00a0on their lap and “drive” the family car for the first time.\u00a0 There’s always<\/em>\u00a0 something new to learn when you spend time with birds and pay attention.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I’ll preface this post with an apology for the cutesy title.\u00a0 I usually avoid them at all costs but in this case I just couldn’t help myself…\u00a0 (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.\u00a0\u00a0Both sexes of both species\u00a0brood their chicks on their backs (back brooding)\u00a0from almost the moment they hatch until they are quite large.\u00a0 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\u00a0often shares the burden. \u00a01\/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).\u00a0 But now I’m quite convinced that the adult was actually\u00a0allowing the youngster to act as an outboard motor of sorts as the chick seems to be providing the propulsion as the parent relaxes.\u00a0 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…<\/p>\n