Eared Grebe in Wyandotte - 07 Feb 2021
At 4 pm the Sun was starting to disappear behind clouds, and the thermometer was hovering around 18F. I parked at the foot of Oak Street and immediately headed for open patches of water. No birds were around the parking lot, so I started walking toward the fishing pier farther north. Brian Beauchene was there with his camera and he was quietly waiting for the grebe to swim out from under the pier. I joined him, and within seconds the Eared Grebe swam out into open sunshine and into a flurry of shutter actuations.
With fingers already going numb I followed it as it swam along the pier and out toward open water. It swam out to the end of the new fishing pier and temporarily swam in the only open water next to the ice-covered Detroit River.
My attempts at digiscoping the grebe failed miserably. I was using the Sony a6300 and couldn't remember my camera settings. My fingers were numb, and the Sun's glare was making my viewfinder useless. I decided to just record video of the bird swimming under my feet, but I couldn't tell if the camera was on or off. It would turn out to be exactly opposite of what I expected.
I have a nice 30 minute slow-motion video of the camera dangling by my side recording the snow and ground in front of my while I walked w/ the scope. The camera promptly stopped recording as soon as I put it to the eyepiece. Ugh.
Luckily, I managed some nice captures from the 1500 or so photos I took w/ the Sony a9 and 200-600mm lens.
Feb 7, 2021 4:10 PM - 4:40 PM
Protocol: Stationary
Checklist Comments: Reported by Justin Labadie on Facebook I came looking for an Eared Grebe seen earlier in the day.
1 species
Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) 1 Found by Bobby Irwin earlier in the day the cooperative grebe was quietly swimming next to the pier at Bishop Park. Smudgy, dusky cheek, orange eye w/ black iris, thick black stripe on back of head, and lack of white on tip of bill differentiates from Horned Grebe. Photos.
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S8
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
I would return after work on Tuesday the 9th and find the Eared Grebe quietly swimming in the corner of the fishing pier. Bruce Szchekowski was also there, and we chatted while the grebe swam and fished (Round Gobies) just a few feet away!
What an absolute cutie!
Tony Leukering has a nice article describing differences between Eared and Horned Grebes. If you look at the image below of a Horned Grebe photographed nearby at Dingell Park a few winters back you'll see the clean white cheek patches and distinct border running along the base of a bright red eye. This contrasts with the smudgy, dusky cheeks of the Eared Grebe above. Its eyes are a bright orange with a black iris while the Horned Grebe has a white iris. Also note the thin black stripe along the back of the head on the Horned Grebe while the stripe on the Eared Grebe is distinctly thicker. Lastly, the white tip seen on the tip of the Horned Grebe's bill is lacking on the Eared Grebe.
Around here, Horned Grebes are relatively common in early spring and late fall during migration, and some even over-winter on the Detroit River in this area. Eared Grebes, on the other hand, are a western bird and a rarity in the State. My last local sighting was 6 years ago at Sterling State Park in Monroe. If you look at their distribution it is apparent that they are not expected in the Great Lakes Area, especially in the dead of winter.
Feb 9, 2021 3:15 PM - 3:35 PM
Protocol: Stationary
1 species
Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) 1 Reported on the 7th the bird continues to hang out around the fishing pier. Blog post w/ images and ID discussion can be found at: https://birdingthroughglass.bl
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S8
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
