ML140658701

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

We got a very quick glance at this bird in the channel near the Lions Picnic Shelter and we both said "large grebe!" Parking the car and walking along the channel to confirm its identify as a RNGR, I could not re-locate it. I suspected it swam into the harbor to avoid the training exercise by the Coast Guard on the other side of the channel. We continued to look for another hour and eventually found it in the harbor, viewing it with our scope, standing just north of the Rotary Deck. This bird is larger than a Horned Grebe, with a thick, yellowish, dagger-like bill. (Horned Grebe's bill is much smaller.) Overall impression: dark gray grebe with a thick neck, blocky head, white throat contrasting with dark neck, white auricular patch, dark eye. Hind crown of the grebe very square-looking. A Red-throated Loon was nearby, giving us a chance to compare the bills and size and length of the necks. Poor documentation photos, due to the distance, but this was a great opportunity to see this species in winter plumage.

Technical information

Model

NIKON D850

ISO

2500

Focal length

550 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/16.0

Shutter speed

1/4000 sec

Dimensions

612 pixels x 488 pixels

Original file size

190.98 KB