Grebe Update!

Tuesday, we spent the morning out at Lake Hodges again to see what the grebes were up to.

 First off, we saw three Green-winged Teal ducks, and two Pied-billed Grebes in the foreground.

 The Western and Clark's Grebes are now building their nests, which are made of dead vegetation usually dredged up from the bottom.  The nests pretty much float on the water.

 Nearby was this Red-tailed Hawk.

 Giving us the hairy eyeball look.

The grebes are still rushing some, but not as much as a month ago.  When you see them doing this, they usually are about to take off on a rush.

 Before taking off, it appears that they fill their cheeks with water.

 He we go!

 We still get a thrill watching them.

 The above six pictures are of the same pair of Clark's Grebes over a period of roughly 30 seconds.

 Expert fish catchers, they are.  They like the shad at this end of the lake.

 Grebes can barely stand, as their legs are attached at the end of their bodies.  This makes them great swimmers, but very awkward on land.

 A female tending her egg, while the male keeps an eye out.

More mating going on.  We hope to come back in a few weeks to see if the chicks are riding around on their mothers' backs.