Could you imagine having a few feathers for breakfast? How about feeding them to your kids? Well, this might sound totally ridiculous to us humans, but for the Red-necked Grebe this is the norm.
Although, the reason why these fascinating water birds do this is not officially known, some experts believe it helps to protect the grebes digestive tract from edible material that is difficult to digest.
The life of the Red-necked grebe begins on a floating nest of plant matter which is anchored to the bottom of a lake or pond. The parents take turns tending 1-8 light blue eggs and often guard them from other waterfowl with some intensity. Chasing away any intruders with head hunched down to the waterline is one of the jobs of the parent who is off the nest at the time. The subtle behaviours and communication between the male and female grebe is truly remarkable. It really is a total team effort when it comes to enforcing the bond between them, nest building, feeding and tending to the young.
Soon after hatching, the young will climb onto the backs of mom and dad and stay there for the first two weeks of their life. Fish, aquatic insects, leeches, amphibians and of course feathers are generally all on the menu.
Red-necked Grebes are very vocal during the breeding season and like the call of the Common Loon, once you have heard it, you won’t forget it. Bird lovers describe some of their vocalisations as a series of long whinnies and chitters. For me, its more like a chattering trill. Ok, I admit its hard to describe their call in words, so you’ll have to get out there for yourself and have a listen.
For all of us photographers, be aware that nesting birds can present several concerns when attempting to take pictures. If you think your presence is going to disrupt the normal behaviour of the birds, its best not to go in for pictures at all. If spooked off the nest, predators or other water birds will rob the nest of the eggs or the parents might abandon the nest completely.
On the other hand, some species tolerate the human presence for many reasons. One might be that they are simply accustomed to having us around. To capture the image above of a Red-necked grebe on the nest, I used a photography blind that was set up in the darkness to conceal my movements and a long lens. The birds were so at ease, I watched them rest, feed, nest build and communicate with one another.
There is so much more you can learn about the Red-necked Grebe by doing some online research or investing in a good bird identification book. As you learn more, I am sure you will agree that the life of the Red-necked Grebe is nothing short of fascinating.
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