Pic of the Day

     Western Grebe, (Aechmophorus occidentalis) – Bear River Migratory Bird Sanctuary; Brigham, Utah:  The Clark's Grebe (previous post) and Western Grebe were once thought to be the same species.  It is easy to see why there was such confusion, as both birds do look very much alike, and they are often found together on western marshes.  The Clark’s was separated from the Western Grebe in the 1980’s.

     From the time they are hatched until they are almost full-grown, grebe chicks ride on the backs of their parents.  I found this chick hitching a ride on one parent as the other fished, and occasional fed the hitchhiker.  After shooting for a while, I was able to capture these intimate moments between the chick and its parent. 

Top Image:  Nikon D7000, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/1,250 sec. @ f6.3

Bottom Image:  Nikon D7000, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/1,600 sec. @ f7.1