Sunny days are rare in the Pacific Northwest during the winter, so when the sun came out briefly this past Friday, I took my camera with me down to the nearby Edmonds waterfront. While there, I snapped the picture above of a Horned Grebe as it swam almost underneath me while I was walking on the public fishing pier.
The sun was shining brightly and gave the water the fantastic deep blue color you see in the picture. I also liked the way that concentric ripples are moving out around the Grebe – these were caused by the Grebe as it dove and then resurfaced while looking for food.
(Initially identified as a Western Grebe, Beth, a visitor to the website, pointed out that this is actually a Horned Grebe.)
Beth
22 Dec 2012Beautiful photo, especially with the concentric rings of water, but I’m quite sure this is an Horned Grebe due to the short bill, white spot in front of the eye and short looking neck. It’s possible I’m wrong because of the angle of the photo (looking down on the bird), but I’m fairly confident in my identification. What do other birders think?
Mike
22 Dec 2012Hi Beth. Thanks for your comments. In looking at my birding field guide, it appears that you may well be right that it is a Horned Grebe, not a Western Grebe.