A Very Busy Mother Grebe

One day in mid-August I got a call from my neighbor, friend, and photographic mentor Cheri.  She's a fantastic wildlife photographer and has taught me everything I know about bird photography.  Cheri always has a pulse on where interesting birds can be found.  She told me a mother Western grebe with babies had been spotted at a local lake.  This water bird is unusual because the mother carries her babies on her back as she swims around.  Cheri was planning to visit the lake in hopes of finding the mama grebe and invited me to join her.  This sounded like such an adorable sight, of course I jumped at the chance to come along.

Western Grebes carry their babies on their backs

The following morning Cheri and I rose early and picked up a third member of our party, Cheri's good friend (and also amazing photographer) Dotty.  We three ladies headed down the freeway, bound for our destination - the Western grebe lake.

"Hello"

After driving for about two hours, Cheri pulled into the large lake and recreation area.  The person that had tipped Cheri off about the mother grebe had told her it was "near the marina."  But which one?  This lake had several.  Not knowing which direction to go, Cheri randomly followed the first "marina" sign she came upon.  Parking in the nearby lot, we peered over toward a large area with several docks where boats of every shape and size were tied up.  Was this the right marina?

Luck was with us that day.  Getting out of the car to investigate, we walked towards a spot of open water between the boat dock and shore.  Cheri spotted the mother grebe right away.  

Snuggle time

No one expected we'd find her so quickly!  All three of us ladies hightailed it back to Cheri's car to grab our cameras.  Then we lined up along the shore and snapped away.

A mother's love

The Western grebe is a striking bird, with a long, slender, swan-like neck, bright yellow bill, and vivid red eyes.  About the size of a small goose, Western grebes have black bodies accented with a white neck and chest.  They are diving birds, living in bodies of water and feeding on small fish and amphibians.  Their most endearing trait is that the mother will carry her newly-hatched babies around on her back.  Western grebes also perform an elaborate courtship ritual, called rushing, where a mating pair will run across the water in unison, wings lifted and heads curved forward.

Mom's two copilots

The mother Western grebe was casually floating around near the moored boats.  Two downy, gray babies were sleeping between her back feathers.  Such a precious sight just a short distance in front of us!  And the early morning light was fantastic.  My friends and I moved to a nearby dock to get better light and a closer angle.

Dad brings a fish for junior

The little grebe babies definitely didn't look like newborns.  They were quite large and appeared nearly ready to strike out on their own.  But they were still small enough to fit on their mama's back - for now.  

"More food dad!"

After watching mama grebe float around the dock area, the babies woke up and began to shuffle about.  Their tiny faces were absolutely adorable, as were their antics.  The siblings pecked at each other and flapped their little wings.  Then we noticed the babies started to get even more animated.  To our surprise, the father Western grebe popped up from under the water right in front of the mother with a small fish in his beak.  The little ones had heard dad coming.  It was feeding time!

Cruising around the lake

Oh my gosh, if the grebe with babies on her back wasn't cute enough, now my friends and I were going to witness the youngsters being fed!  Both babies strained their necks towards daddy, vying for breakfast.  The stronger one reached him first and was able to grab the fish, which was quickly wolfed down.

Dad brings another catch

My friends and I were fortunate enough to watch several iterations of the baby grebes being fed.  The father would swim away towards the open waters of the lake, and return a short time later with another fish.  One time he brought back a very large fish.  One of the babies grabbed it in his beak and tried in vain to swallow it, but this fish was too big for it's throat.  I was afraid we'd witness the cute little fluffball choking to death, however at the last minute mama grebe took the fish away from junior and ate it herself.

Which baby will get the fish?

All mothers need a break from their young, so after several feeding sessions, the mother grebe dumped both her babies into the water.  Old enough to swim, the little guys headed over to their father, who allowed them to board his back.  It was dad's turn to babysit.  Mama swam off to enjoy a little bit of free time.  However, she didn't go far.  Daddy grebe decided to give his kids a tour of the larger lake and started heading towards open water.  He was just about past the docks when mama grebe zipped up to him, squawking loudly.  The kids promptly jumped off their father's back and onto hers.  It appeared mama grebe was scolding her husband for taking the kids out of the safe area.  My friends and I guessed the dock area provided more protection for the baby grebes, and the mother was doing what all moms do to protect her offspring.

Down the hatch!

Cheri, Dotty and I spent a solid two hours sitting on the dock watching our new favorite Western grebe family.  After awhile, the feedings stopped and papa grebe swam away towards the lake's center.  The babies snuggled into their mother's feathers and she tucked her head protectively around them.  Then all three grebes drifted off to sleep.  Such a sweet sight, it was the perfect ending to a wonderful morning.

Dinner time

My friends and I came away from our morning photo session with thousands of excellent images.  Back home, sorting and choosing the very best ones proved to be a monumental task.  But I also found it be surprisingly enjoyable - looking through the morning's precious captures made me smile.  I learned all about a "new to me" species of bird and have the pictures to prove it.

Huge thanks to Cheri for allowing me to tag along!