Podiceps auritus
I drove backwards down the dike at Lincoln Beach in Utah County trying to get some pictures of this grebe and trying not to
drive off the edge in the process. The grebe was quite calm considering how persistent I was in following it. It's not often
I get to take a picture of any grebe at a close range. © Carol Davis, 3-12-2010
Well, I have to say that when I took this shot I thought this was just a first-year Eared Grebe coming into breeding plumage, but
when I got home and looked closely at the photos, I noticed that the bird has a white-tipped bill and the bill is straight rather than
turned up at the end. Also, there is white under the chin and on the lower front. Some reddish color is apparent on the neck. Below
is an enlarged shaded picture of the head which shows the shape of the bill and, again, the white-tipped bill. © Carol Davis, 3-12-2010
It's official, this is a Horned Grebe. Thanks, Kristin Purdy, for your positive ID. Kristin
said "I'd say you've got a Horned Grebe here, and good for you to see those subtleties
through this bird's funky molting plumage. In addition to the white bill tip you mentioned,
the yellow color coming in around the lores and in very well-defined stripes on the sides
of the crown, and the rusty color all the way up the neck are Horned Grebe field marks.
Eared Grebes show black necks. " Kristin is an avid birder and clueless birders like me
are glad she's around to help out.
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