THIS WEEK’S THEME: A WETLAND IN FIVE BIRDS
Five very different birds reveal five ways of making a living in the wetlands of Merced National Wildlife Refuge.
Scientific name
Podilymbus podiceps
Taxonomic group
Podicipedidae — Grebes
Click photograph to view full size
A photograph is worth a thousand words, but the story makes it worth a few more.
ONE INTERESTING FACT
I’ve encountered Pied-billed Grebes from Saskatoon to Ecuador and seemingly everywhere in between. Wherever I find them, I’m reminded of the same thing: they’re like little feathered submarines.
Like other grebes, Pied-billed Grebes can control their buoyancy, allowing them to gradually sink lower and lower in the water until they quietly disappear beneath the surface. At other times, they’ll dive almost instantly, leaving behind little more than a ripple to show where they had been.
It’s one of my favorite things about watching them. A Pied-billed Grebe can be sitting calmly on the surface one moment and, almost without warning, simply sink out of sight.
IMAGE DETAILS
LOCATION INFORMATION: Merced National Wildlife Refuge · Merced County, California · January 21, 2025
EQUIPMENT INFORMATION: Canon EOS R5 · Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1L IS USM
SETTINGS INFORMATION: 454mm · ƒ/9 · 1/2000 sec · ISO 2500