Pied-billed Grebe Showing Off A Little

I’ve always thought of Pied-billed Grebes as sort of the Rodney Dangerfields of the bird world because they just “don’t get no respect”.  At least they don’t get as much as I think they deserve from bird photographers.  They’re plain little brown birds, very common (in fact they’re the most widely distributed grebe species in North America) and often when they’re seen they’re just sitting calmly on the water so many photographers usually ignore them.

But if you spend enough time with them it won’t be long till you see that they’re full of personality and interesting behaviors.  They’re pugnacious, aggressive and extremely active in bursts.  I enjoy the heck out of them.

 

 1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in

 While I was watching this bird float effortlessly on the water it began to rouse (ruffle its feathers).   Sometimes rousing is a precursor to a wing flap so this time…

 

 

 1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in

 I was ready when it happened.  When grebes do a wing flap they raise their chubby little bodies out of the water.

 

 

 1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in

 This one didn’t last long and here the bird is already beginning to settle back onto the water.

 

 

 1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in

It begins to fold its wings back into position…

 

 

 1/1250, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, not baited, set up or called in

And then it’s all over.  As usual it happened very fast and you have to be prepared if you’re going to have any chance of photographing these poses.

Nothing dramatic here – simply a few shots that I like of a common but photographically worthy little bird.

Ron