ship rock
Pied-billed Grebe
Part bird, but it rarely flies, and it doesn't perch. It totters a bit to get up on its nest but doesn't walk, and its toes are lobed not webbed. The other part is more like a submarine, sometimes imperceptibly slipping into the depths, sometimes crash diving, and sometimes with powerful propulsion at the stern, leaving a long wake while streaking along underwater like a torpedo.
In spite of all that though, both mother and father are very gentle and devoted parents, carrying the young chicks on their backs among their feathers, for the first week or two. Charming to see; delightful to get to know; rewarding to photograph.
This one, of course, is a juvenile. At this point during its first summer, it has its first full set of wing feathers. Its muscles are still developing, though, and it has been vigorously exercising them. Now, it is preparing to do a full-power practice take-off-run down the long back side of the pond.
Click on image for larger view.
Pied-billed Grebe
Part bird, but it rarely flies, and it doesn't perch. It totters a bit to get up on its nest but doesn't walk, and its toes are lobed not webbed. The other part is more like a submarine, sometimes imperceptibly slipping into the depths, sometimes crash diving, and sometimes with powerful propulsion at the stern, leaving a long wake while streaking along underwater like a torpedo.
In spite of all that though, both mother and father are very gentle and devoted parents, carrying the young chicks on their backs among their feathers, for the first week or two. Charming to see; delightful to get to know; rewarding to photograph.
This one, of course, is a juvenile. At this point during its first summer, it has its first full set of wing feathers. Its muscles are still developing, though, and it has been vigorously exercising them. Now, it is preparing to do a full-power practice take-off-run down the long back side of the pond.
Click on image for larger view.