grebes Archives - Outside PWR https://outsidepwr.com/tag/grebes/ Get Out and Stay Out Thu, 20 Jun 2024 15:08:50 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://outsidepwr.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/elkcrestpng-150x150.png grebes Archives - Outside PWR https://outsidepwr.com/tag/grebes/ 32 32 235745741 Surprise, Surprise, Eared Grebes in The Twin Cities https://outsidepwr.com/surprise-surprise-eared-grebe-in-the-twin-cities/ https://outsidepwr.com/surprise-surprise-eared-grebe-in-the-twin-cities/#respond Wed, 10 Apr 2024 19:37:18 +0000 https://outsidepwr.com/?p=366 The post Surprise, Surprise, Eared Grebes in The Twin Cities appeared first on Outside PWR.

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Surprise, Surprise, Eared Grebes in The Twin Cities

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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.

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]]> https://outsidepwr.com/surprise-surprise-eared-grebe-in-the-twin-cities/feed/ 0 366 Attention Birders! Go Watch Western Grebes Run! https://outsidepwr.com/attention-birders-go-watch-western-grebes-run/ https://outsidepwr.com/attention-birders-go-watch-western-grebes-run/#comments Fri, 05 Apr 2024 14:08:34 +0000 https://outsidepwr.com/?p=323 The post Attention Birders! Go Watch Western Grebes Run! appeared first on Outside PWR.

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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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Western Grebes

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western-grebes-running

western-grebes-face-to-face

western-grebes-face-to-face-II-web

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