Horned Grebes Put on a Show

In of all places Minneapolis

Horned grebes are diving birds eating almost anything they can swallow that’s in the water. During sring they also put on a cool mating display dancing there way across local waters including the city Lakes of Minneapolis and St Paul.

Over the years these small birds who weigh about a pound decend on Minnesota typically in small flocks oof 4-8 birds. That said, I’ve seen 100 of them in a single group.  What makes them a fun photography target is besides their beauty and gregarius behavior is many times horned grebes will cruise the shoreline in search of food and mates making them quite available to a guy in waders with a camera.

Below is a selection of horned grebe images I’ve snapped over the years. Some images are in close range while others are big time crops depicting dancing or fishing but I like them.

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Migration in Full Swing in Minneapolis

Deja Vu in Minneapolis

Once again Minneapolis is the hotspot for early Spring waterfowl viewing and photography. Each year since I began my nature photography quest I’ve witnessed numerous species of waterfowl in the lakes of Minneapolis and St Paul. It may sound crazy but these lakes harbor many different waterfowl each April including; Northern Shovelers, Redhead, Canvasbacks, Blue Wing Teal, Bufflehead, Goldeneye, Common Loon, Red-Necked  Grebes, Horned Grebes the occasional Eared Grebe, Pintail Ducks and the stars of the show Red-Breasted Megansers.

Why are Red-Breasted mergansers the star of the show? Well most years there are 100’s of them in the Minneapolis City Lakes and Lake Phalen in St Paul is also known to harbor them in April. Red-breasted Mergansers are here to court, feed and rest before heading North to their breeding grounds mostly in Canada. Drakes are constently performing an elaborate display of calling, bobbing and weaving for the hens hoping to provide what’s needed for a successful nesting season. This  activity often happens close to shore giving the birder a great view at these seldom observed birds right here in Minneapolis St Paul.

If you’re interested in seeing red-breasted mergansers, buffleheads, goldeneye, horned grebes and red-necked grebes now is the time to head to the Minneapolis City Lakes. You may even encounter numerous othe waterfowl species.

The images below were shot in April of 2025.

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Do Western Grebes Run on Water? Yes They do!

Run on water! Yes western grebes run on the water! Many grebes have elaborate courting rituals, weed dances, face to face smootches and chasing each other but no other grebe that I have witnessed runs on the water or what is termed “rushing”.

This behavior can be watched in April in May with my personal best experiences being late April into early May. These birds gather in groups near nesting territory…floating patches of weeds and weed bogs in large lakes of Western Minnesota on north and west for the most part. According to The Cornell lab they will also nest in Iowa and Wisconsin.

If you are a birder you need to see this behavior. You won’t forget it! Though most easily seen from a boat you can spy them from shore as well. Small groups of them 2,3,4 will appear rather agitated right before they start to run on the water. If you see odd behaviors in small groups get ready because it’s about to happen.

The westerns will run more than 100 feet at times giving those with a camera a lifetime opportunity to capture the moment as I have in the images below.

In Minnesota Lake Osakis is famous for westerns and many lakes in North Dakota within driving distance of Fargo also harbor large populations of western grebes.

Now go!

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Horned Grebes in the Twin Cities

Horned Grebes Visit Spring and Fall

Grebes are a diving bird and they prefer to eat fish and other aquatic beasts. Each spring and fall Horned Grebes visit local area lakes and larger ponds. Good places to view Horned Grebes in Spring are the Minneapolis and St Paul City lakes, the Mississippi River and most any lake in the Twin Cities metro area.

During fall they don’t often appear in the city lakes but prefer to be close to the Mississippi, Minnesota and St Croix Rivers and lakes very close to these rivers are favored by Horned Grebes in fall.

Local Horned Grebes

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