View allAll Photos Tagged waterwitch
Pied-billed grebes are often seen floating or diving on Florida’s lakes and ponds. This small pigeon-sized grebe has a short, blunt bill, which is encircled by a black band. These grebes are rarely seen flying, they usually dive and swim underwater when threatened. They feed on small fish, crustaceans and aquatic insects.
Some pied-billed grebes are year-round residents in Florida, and have an extended breeding season. Others migrate to northern states to breed and return to Florida for the winter.
Pied-billed Grebes have several folk names, including "water witch" and "hell-diver."
Found this one along Peavine Road, Osceola County, Florida.
Photographed 09 September 2017, Bueng Boraphet Non-Hunting Area, Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Sawan Province, Thailand
Latin - Tachybaptus ruficollis
Spanish - Zampullín común
French - Grèbe castagneux
Italian - Tuffetto
German - Zwergtaucher
Russian - Малая поганка
Thai - นกเป็ดผีเล็ก
Icelandic - Litli kafönd
Body: Nikon D750 DSLR
Lens: Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR
Thanks in advance for your views, favorites, and supportive comments.
Photographed 19 July 2025, Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge, Walden, North Park, Jackson County, Colorado
Body: Sony A7-iii (ILCE-7M3)
Lens: Sony FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS
Thanks in advance for your views, favorites, and supportive comments.
Photographed 09 September 2017, Bueng Boraphet Non-Hunting Area, Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Sawan Province, Thailand
Latin - Tachybaptus ruficollis
Spanish - Zampullín común
French - Grèbe castagneux
Italian - Tuffetto
German - Zwergtaucher
Russian - Малая поганка
Thai - นกเป็ดผีเล็ก
Icelandic - Litli kafönd
Body: Nikon D750 DSLR
Lens: Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR
Thanks in advance for your views, favorites, and supportive comments.
This vivacious little bird literally popped up in a stream where I was photographing some mallards. Slightly too big to fit on my hand, with very quick, deft movements, these little grebes are really fun to watch.
Photographed 21 December 2013, Jeddah Spoil, Jeddah, Red Sea Coast, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Latin - Tachybaptus ruficollis
Spanish - Zampullín común
French - Grèbe castagneux
Italian - Tuffetto
German - Zwergtaucher
Russian - Малая поганка
Thai - นกเป็ดผีเล็ก
Icelandic - Litli kafönd
Camera: Canon PowerShot SX50 HS
Thanks in advance for your views, favorites, and supportive comments.
The pied-billed grebe builds nests that are little platforms of plant material that floats on water, hidden behind vegetation.
The Waterwitch, a regular sight on the Union Canal, available for group hires along the water, but here tucked up for bed on a winter night
They're expert divers, often sinking slowly like a submarine when disturbed (only the head may remain visible) or diving headfirst to hunt. They feed on fish, crustaceans, amphibians, insects, and other aquatic invertebrates, using their strong lobed toes (not fully webbed feet) for propulsion underwater.
RiverTown, St Johns, Florida
Linn AG, Switzerland
At 5.40 m high, the Linner Waterfall is the highest waterfall in the canton of Aargau.
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Mit seinen 5,40 m Höhe ist der Linner Wasserfall der höchste Wasserfall des Kantons Aargau.
The pied-billed grebe is a species of the grebe family of water birds. Since the Atitlán grebe has become extinct, it is the sole extant member of the genus Podilymbus. The pied-billed grebe is primarily found in ponds throughout the Americas.
The Water Witch, a regular sight on this stretch of the Union Canal, using the wider space by the old Leamington Lift Bridge to perform a 180 degree turn before heading back westward (see the following short videos)
waterwitch passage GBR FNQ
To read our story on this area:
www.cruisingtheedge.com/howick-group-east-past-lizard-isl...
Pied-billed grebes are often seen floating or diving on Florida’s lakes and ponds. This small pigeon-sized grebe has a short, blunt bill, which is encircled by a black band. These grebes are rarely seen flying, they usually dive and swim underwater when threatened. They feed on small fish, crustaceans and aquatic insects.
Some pied-billed grebes are year-round residents in Florida, and have an extended breeding season. Others migrate to northern states to breed and return to Florida for the winter.
Folk names of this grebe include Dabchick, Devil-diver, Dive-dapper, Hell-diver, and Water Witch.
I found this one along Alligator Alley Trail at Circle B Bar Reserve. Polk County Florida.
Built 1872 at Poole by W. Meadus & Son, Poole
see shippingandshipbuilding.uk/view.php?year_built=&build...
SMM ref 2017-037(157),
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop
“In the silence of the deep, the sea remembers its queen.”
Beneath the shifting tides, within a cathedral of coral and light, she waits — the Waterwitch of Atlantis, crowned in living reefs and pearls of forgotten ages. Her hair drifts like enchanted seaweed, her eyes gleam with the wisdom of oceans unmeasured. Around her, the undersea cave blooms with wonders: radiant schools of fish swirl like living jewels, starfish cling to ancient stone, and relics of a lost empire lie half-buried in coral embrace.
Every detail breathes with surreal vibrancy — a world where myth and nature entwine, where the ocean itself bestows divinity upon its chosen vessel. She is both guardian and goddess, witch and queen, a vision born from the depths of dream and tide.
Expert divers: They sink slowly or dive headfirst to forage underwater (often staying submerged 10–30 seconds or more). Nicknamed "hell-diver" for their sudden plunges.
Shy and secretive: Often hide in vegetation; more likely heard than seen. They rarely fly unless necessary (prefer swimming away or diving to escape danger).