Middle Concho Park, here in San Angelo, Texas, has the Middle Concho River, then there are little lagoons, or sloughs that branch off a bit. It is in one of these sloughs that we spotted this lone Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps). It is a winter adult and was oblivious of me in our car, only about 50 feet away. By the way, these are the best close-ups of a grebe that I have ever had. Usually, I have had to contend with distances of several hundred yards, and have never been able to get shots like these.
Pied-billed Grebe - Image 8092
Pied-billed Grebe - Image 8091
Pied-billed Grebe - Image 8093
Pied-billed Grebe - Image 8089
To shoot these images, I used my Canon EOS 7D and Canon 500mm f4 lens with a 1.4 tele-converter attached. I hand-held it, resting it on a Puffin’ Pad window rest, from our car. Exposure was Aperture Priority, 1/2500 sec. @ f6.3 with ISO400, minus 1/3 EV adjustment.
I have never seen a dry grebe anywhere. They are always on the water, diving every few minutes, to come up several yards away in a different spot. Theyre never above the water long enough to dry off. At least, that has been my experience.
Click on any image for an enlargement. Enjoy. 🙂
Texas Tweeties by Bob Zeller 