Today, July 26, was the first Summer day of 2010 that I have heard or seen any Pied-Billed Grebes at the Delta Ponds. Two weeks ago I was told by a local devoted bird and wildlife observer that the Grebe has not been seen since earlier this Spring. She speculated that incessant rumbling of the heavy equipment being used in constructing the new bike bridge a quarter mile away drove the Grebe away. Last Summer I saw and heard the Pied-Billed Grebe often.
Mid-day today, a hot day in the mid-to-high 80s, I was at the West-running segment of the bike trail which separates the North pond from the large Middle pond. I was looking for the Green Herons again but was having no luck with that. Suddenly I heard my favorite local bird call - the raucous "ouw, ouw OUW OUW OUW OUWT.... HOO... HOO... HOO-ee-ooo. The last part of the call is reminiscent of a loon. The call was coming from across the North pond, not far from the Northwest corner. That's the same place the Grebe used to frequent last Summer. I started scanning the area with my binoculars. This grebe spends more time diving under water than he does sitting on the surface so sometimes they are very hard to spot. I got lucky on my 3rd or 4th pass over the area. His bill was very silvery-white with the characteristic vertical dark stripe. The rest of his coloration was very very dark. I really didn't seen anything but slaty grey on his head and neck and body. However, I didn't see him from all sides, nor even for very long in profile before he dove under water again.
It was only last year that I finally connected the wonderful call of this bird with the bird making it. I always heard this call in larger swamps and Marshes such as at Malheur Wildlife Refuge and locally maybe at Fern Ridge Reservoir. Last Summer I started hearing this wonderful bird call at the Delta ponds. I don't know how many times I heard it and found a Pied-billed Grebe in the area from which the call was coming before I was convinced the Grebe is the source of this lovely wild bird song.
But today, something very special thing happened. Shortly after I located the Grebe, he gave out his exuberant call while I was watching him in my binoculars. As one might expect just from the loudness of this series of notes, the Grebe was pushing out and extending his neck and head with every note, as though he was blowing a bugle. It was really fun to see him in the act of bellowing out his song.
A while later he came up only half-way across and I saw his bill and head and neck more closely. I still didn't really notice any colors other than that very silvery bill with the stripe. A woman stopped to ask what I was watching. She tried to find he Grebe in my binoculars but the bird didn't cooperate. Then as she was about to leave, the Grebe started making it's call and she got to hear it.
Mid-day today, a hot day in the mid-to-high 80s, I was at the West-running segment of the bike trail which separates the North pond from the large Middle pond. I was looking for the Green Herons again but was having no luck with that. Suddenly I heard my favorite local bird call - the raucous "ouw, ouw OUW OUW OUW OUWT.... HOO... HOO... HOO-ee-ooo. The last part of the call is reminiscent of a loon. The call was coming from across the North pond, not far from the Northwest corner. That's the same place the Grebe used to frequent last Summer. I started scanning the area with my binoculars. This grebe spends more time diving under water than he does sitting on the surface so sometimes they are very hard to spot. I got lucky on my 3rd or 4th pass over the area. His bill was very silvery-white with the characteristic vertical dark stripe. The rest of his coloration was very very dark. I really didn't seen anything but slaty grey on his head and neck and body. However, I didn't see him from all sides, nor even for very long in profile before he dove under water again.
It was only last year that I finally connected the wonderful call of this bird with the bird making it. I always heard this call in larger swamps and Marshes such as at Malheur Wildlife Refuge and locally maybe at Fern Ridge Reservoir. Last Summer I started hearing this wonderful bird call at the Delta ponds. I don't know how many times I heard it and found a Pied-billed Grebe in the area from which the call was coming before I was convinced the Grebe is the source of this lovely wild bird song.
But today, something very special thing happened. Shortly after I located the Grebe, he gave out his exuberant call while I was watching him in my binoculars. As one might expect just from the loudness of this series of notes, the Grebe was pushing out and extending his neck and head with every note, as though he was blowing a bugle. It was really fun to see him in the act of bellowing out his song.
A while later he came up only half-way across and I saw his bill and head and neck more closely. I still didn't really notice any colors other than that very silvery bill with the stripe. A woman stopped to ask what I was watching. She tried to find he Grebe in my binoculars but the bird didn't cooperate. Then as she was about to leave, the Grebe started making it's call and she got to hear it.
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