On Fri, Jul 8, 2011 at 3:01 PM, Stan Halpin <s...@stans-photography.info> wrote:
> Thank you Frank - a very nice series. I haven't seen this species in person > nor had I seen the floating nest before. So your pictures sent me off into my > reference books. A couple of interesting factoids: "Grebe nests, composed of > decaying vegetation, are usually anchored on aquatic plants, quite unlike > those of most loons, which are built on shorelines or small islands." > "Chicks are able to swim and dive from birth." "As in loons, adults carry > chicks on their backs to shelter, protect, and brood them." Predators include > large fishes - bass and pike - turtles, herons, gulls, crows, coots, > raccoons, minks . . . > [All from The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior, 2001.] > I also noted that the range maps for the Red-necked Grebe show that it is > very unusual for them to be that far south. Thanks for the info, Stan. As I just told Bob on the first Grebe thread, it's been 5 or 6 years of putting floating platforms down so they can nest, and so far no eggs. Hopefully this one will hatch before gulls get it. There are at least two or three couples seen around our park on the lake. I had no idea they were rare this far south. They can be seen (or more likely heard - their cry is quite distinct and they always answer one another) pretty much every time one ventures into the park. Thanks to everyone who commented on this and the first thread. It's been a real treat to be able to observe and photograph these guys! cheers, frank -- "Sharpness is a bourgeois concept." -Henri Cartier-Bresson -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
