“Everything is clearer when you're in love.” – John Lennon
“Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.” – Robert Frost
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Found in our own ancient lake's 44,000 acres, the Western Grebe is an elegant bird to behold.
Now, in springtime they can be found performing breathtaking mating dances. First, you will hear their distinctive “kree – ee” – a call like no other.
Next you can spy on their romantic aquatic efforts to lure a partner. The black and white birds “run” across the lake for dozens of yards. This maneuver is called “rushing.”
You can find them dining a deux, but instead of a pasta dinner for two at the local eatery they dine on delectable, silvery fish.
After diving under water, one bird comes up with a finny offering in its beak, then feeds it to its mate.
Grebes also can be seen diving for green strands of lake vegetation, which they then offer to their mate as ideal nesting material.
Grebes gather in colonies and build nests with reeds. These floating houses must not be disturbed during nesting time in the spring, as they may be home to between one and seven eggs.
The Western Grebe can be differentiated from another species of grebe found on Clear Lake, Clark's Grebe, by the black cap that extends along and below the eye. The Western Grebe also has a more pointy, longer beak than that of the Clark's.
Western Grebes have a wingspan of about 32 inches, and grow 21 to 29 inches in length.
Grebes are found not only in lakes, but also ponds and marshes. Their habitat includes estuaries and sea coasts in the winter season.
According to ornithologists, there are 22 species of grebes found in the world.
Studies have turned up a relationship between flamingos and grebes, due to around 11 traits that they both hold in common. The traits are known as morphological traits, and have not been detected on other birds.
Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is an educator, potter, writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.” She also writes for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” She was selected “Lake County Teacher of the Year, 1998-99” by the Lake County Office of Education, and chosen as one of 10 state finalists the same year by the California Department of Education.
The Living Landscape: The Western Grebe
- Kathleen Scavone
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