Eared Grebe

One of the few disappointments of my recent trip to Malheur was that I was unable to get a good shot of an Eared Grebe in breeding colors. It wouldn’t have been so frustrating if I hadn’t seen any, but I did see several. It was just that they were too far away and, for some reason, I only saw them when it was cloudy. My best shot

Eared Grebe

was almost as grainy as the original shots I got two years ago in the middle of a thunderstorm.

Fortunately, they seemed to be the commonest bird in Tule Lake, California, the NWR I visited after leaving Malheur. Not sure what this bird was doing, but I liked the pose.

Eared Grebe

This one seemed almost as curious about me as I was about it.

Eared Grebe

I’m always amazed at how thin their head is, particularly since it seems much larger in profile.

This is my favorite shot, though.

Eared Grebe

I’m going to have to try for a flight shot or a shot with chicks to improve on this.