The eared grebe is an unusual sight in the Twin Cities metro but I have stumbled upon them twice in recent years. Hopefully again this spring.

You really never know where migrating waterfowl will show up but we can make a couple of good guesses. Down by the river would be the first guess and this is where I found a group of eared grebes actively feeding in the shallows. It was quite a show for a couple of days and many enjoyed the experience. Good spots to check are the Bass Ponds (really the Minnesota River) in Bloomington and any park with the Mississippi River flowing through it north of Minneapolis. They prefer quiet water. 2024 could be a good year with the low water levels.

Next up. I check the city lakes often in spring. I believe the birds like the city lakes for the available food and little traffic on the water. So I was on a drive by to see what I could see on a rotten low overcast spring day and I spotted a group of pie bill grebes. And in that group were two male eared grebes who were none to wary of a guy laying on the shoreline armed with a camera. The dreary shot you see to the right was captured very near Thomas Beach in Minneapolis.