When temperatures get this cold and nearly all fresh water freezes up some bird species are at a distinct disadvantage. Pied-billed Grebes are among them.
1/800, f/10, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
On New Year’s Day morning temperatures along this section of the Bear River reached 0 degrees F. and it’s been nearly that cold at night for some time without warming up much during the day (it was 7 degrees F. when this shot was taken) so nearly all of the river is frozen and snow-covered. Only isolated small patches of fast-moving water remain in the liquid state and this group of tightly packed Pied-billed Grebes had taken refuge in one of them that morning. I believe there were at least 26 of them but only about half of them can be seen here.
Most of these grebes are migratory in this area (their migration is triggered by ice-up and food availability) but I always see some year-round, birds that apparently take their chances on a mild winter.
These birds may have taken the wrong bet because at least for now they’re stuck. Pied-billed Grebes need a long, running start over open water while flapping their wings to become airborne and that much open water just isn’t in the cards for these birds right now and they can’t take off from solid surfaces (it would seem that ice and/or snow would present an even larger problem for take-off than solid ground). Cornell’s Birds of North America Online reports only two documented instances of this species taking off from land or other solid surfaces – one bird successfully took off from a lawn and another from a Kansas highway after it had landed there in the fog.
The following video clip should give readers a better sense of the predicament of these birds (sorry, a glitch prevents me from centering it).
The patch of ice-free water up against the cement is very small – not much bigger than the tightly packed group of grebes (some of the ice looks clear because it isn’t covered with snow). It seems to me that these birds would be easy pickin’s for harriers and possibly other raptors because even if they dive to escape they’d still have to come back to this open patch for air and the raptor would only have to wait there to pick them off.
It’s supposed to warm up a few degrees next week so maybe that’ll melt a little more ice and these grebes will have a chance.
Ron
Aw, poor birds. Humans cause so many problems with destruction of habitat, cars, etc, that when it IS a natural cause, I still feel the need to rush in and save them. I hope they figure out a way to get out of this predicament. 🙁
This reminds me of an incident that Yellowstone ornithologist Terry McEneaney witnessed several years ago. I was horrified when I read it the first time. http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/four-ravens-wipe-out-grebes-in-yellowstone/article_55da1c3f-7c18-5fcb-b030-310ff8f954f0.html Birds really do get themselves into tough situations sometimes.
I hope we get to learn the outcome. Hope they get to leave.
I hope they make it!
I’ll report back if I learn anything new, Arwen. Not sure when I’ll make it all the way up to Bear River again though.
Thank you, Ron. 😀
Oh dear.
A heart-hearting education here today.
Fingers, toes and eyes crossed that some at least of them survive.
EC, they’re tough little scrappers so I sure wouldn’t count them out.
We can understand where “Survival of the Fittest” came from. Well respected observers like you telling about what they saw!
It is a tough life out there, and humans exacerbating climate change aren’t making it any better.
Sorry, didn’t mean to interject politics.
“We can understand where “Survival of the Fittest” came from”
Yup, there just may be some gene selection about to happen here, Dick.
I’m very guilty of taking our semi-tropical weather here for granted and not thinking about how difficult it is for wildlife to survive the extreme cold. Hopefully, the grebe gang can hang on for that warmer weather.
Thanks for another nudge to my conscience, Ron.
I don’t think your conscience needs any nudging, Wally – you’ve got a perfectly good one.
Awwww, that’s so sad. Hope to hear better news soon.
Linda, another local photographer commented on my link to this post on Facebook. She said that she saw these birds yesterday and that the patch of open water was somewhat smaller than it was the day before. Thankfully it’s supposed to warm up a little soon.
I realize that birds take this kind of circumstance in stride, but for me it is still heart-wrenching to see. I hope they are able to survive.
Me too, Susan. Hopefully the situation isn’t quite as dire as I think it might be.
Burr RRockport/Fulton wonderful how many will make it. Great shot and video Ron !
charlotte
Thank you, Charlotte.
They sure do have themselves in a tight spot – little open water and predator vulnerability. 🙁 Cement wall probably helps with the latter and may hold some heat. Duck and geese sometimes get into trouble here with encroaching ice on the Missouri catching them off guard. Hope they continue to find food and the water opens up for them.
Judy
Judy, with the current in the water in that particular area I don’t think it’ll have to warm up much to open up some of the ice. Time will tell…
Mornin’ Ron,
I wonder if there is any way to “create” a runway for them?
Without a way to take off, the future looks pretty bleak, if
the temperature continues to remain so low…. Please keep
us posted.
Take care, be safe, and stay well.. ;-)))
“I wonder if there is any way to “create” a runway for them?”
I’m not sure, Roger.
I saw the same group of birds in the same ice-free patch several days before that morning so they seem to be holding on, at least for now. It’s possible that there’s more open water nearby that either I can’t see or didn’t notice. Birds can be resilient and resourceful but their situation looks pretty perilous to me.