Pic of the Day

Western Grebe, Aechmophorus occidentalis:  Bear River Bird Sanctuary; Brigham, Utah

     On my recent trip to the Bear River Bird Sanctuary at Brigham, Utah, I found Western and Clark's Grebes in various stages of nesting.  Most birds I saw had chicks, some large and some small, but this Western Grebe was still sitting on eggs.  
     I was fortunate to find this bird nesting very close to the road.  I rarely shoot with a tele-converter, but I used one for this shot to increase the distance, thus causing less disturbance to the bird.  I was very careful in my approach, as not to disturb the grebe, but another pair came very close to the nest.  They must have come too close, because the female slid off the nest and chased the other birds away.  Within a minute of chasing the intruders off she climbed back on the nest allowing me to get this shot.  Shooting this bird and its eggs was a real treat, making the long drive to Utah worthwhile.

Nikon D800, Nikon 500mm f/4 with 1.4 teleconverter (effective 700mm f/5.6), 
1/5000 second @ f/7.1