Western or Clark's Grebe
Aechmophorus sp. · Waterfowl
Western and Clark's Grebes together
San Diego, 6 March 2026
Two grebes riding close together on a San Diego lake, and on a closer look not the same species. Western and Clark's Grebes share the big lakes of the West, breeding side by side in the same reed beds and wintering on the same coast, and mixed pairs still turn up.
On the left bird the black of the cap comes down to enclose the red eye and the bill is a dull greenish-yellow: a Western. On the right the eye sits in white, with the black stopping above it, and the bill is a brighter orange-yellow: a Clark's. The two were treated as one species until 1985, and whether this is a pair or two neighbours is not something the photograph can settle.
Grebes in a "rushing" display
San Diego, 6 March 2026
Two grebes in a "rushing" display on a San Diego lake: a pair reared almost upright, wings folded back and necks arched in unison, sprinting side by side across the surface for several yards before dropping back down. Western and Clark's Grebes both do it, on the lakes of the West where they breed, and it is a pair-bonding ritual rather than aggression.
Both species perform it, occasionally even in mixed pairs, which is part of why they went unsplit as a single species until 1985. At this range and angle there isn't enough to call which species this pair belongs to, or whether they are a matched pair at all.
Grebes rushing
San Diego, 6 March 2026
Two grebes mid-"rushing" on a San Diego lake, the courtship sprint where a pair rears up and runs across the surface side by side, feet slapping the water fast enough to stay upright rather than sink. Western and Clark's Grebes both do it, on the big lakes of the West where they breed, and this pair kept it going for several seconds before dropping back to float.
They were too far off and moving too fast for the frame to settle which of the two species is running it. It is one of the few birds that can genuinely walk on water, and the only reason it works is speed: about twenty steps a second.
Birds, insects, plants and other wildlife, mostly from Brooklyn, with some from further afield.
Every photograph comes with notes on what it is.
Selected
Favourite shots. Filter by subject, or .
Places
Everything, by where it was taken.
Species
Larger catalogue of photos organized by species of animal or plant.
Catalogue
Every photograph, newest first. Narrow it by period, place or species; the three work together.
Updates
Coming soon. Sign up at the bottom of the page for updates.