| Common Name | Pied-billed Grebe |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Podilymbus podiceps |
| Type of Report | Rare Nesting Species |
| Date of Observation | 08/18/2020 |
| Number Observed | 5 |
| Reporting Observer's Name | Richard Littauer |
| Mailing Address | 10 Monsignor Crosby Avenue #4 Montpelier, VT 05602 United States Map It |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Date Completed | 11/22/2020 |
| Names & Emails of Other Contributing Observers | John Jose probably has better notes on these Grebes than I. I don't have his email. |
| Latitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 44.3258244 |
| Longitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | -72.5003315 |
| Place Name | Sodom Pond |
| Township | Adamant |
| County | Washington |
| Vermont eBird Checklist URL | ebird.org |
| Time of Day | 06:30 AM |
| Length of Time Observed | 1.5 hours |
| Maximum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 2000 |
| Minimum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 500 |
| Noteworthy Weather Conditions | Clear. |
| Optical Equipment Used for Observation | 8x42 Vortex Viper binos, Nikon D500 with 500mm lens. |
| Observer’s Previous Acquaintance With This or Similar Species | Seen frequently during migration in Washington County in the past two years. Not a Grebe expert by any means, but this bird is relatively distinct. |
| I certify that any attachments included with this report were captured during this observation event. | |
| Description of Habitat | Sodom Pond is a medium-sized shallow pond with encroaching marshes. |
| Behaviors Observed | Over the course of the summer, I saw one of the parents feeding the young, and generally hovering close to them. The young dived and fished for themselves as the summer progressed, with one bird being fed by the parent late into the season. |
| Description of Vocalizations | Pied-billed Grebe normal call heard several times. |
| Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation | I saw these birds many times over the course of the summer. https://ebird.org/checklist/S71151335 (photographed), https://ebird.org/checklist/S71124185, https://ebird.org/checklist/S71188906, https://ebird.org/checklist/S73144868, https://ebird.org/checklist/S73145612, https://ebird.org/checklist/S74059236, https://ebird.org/checklist/S74465765 (possibly different birds, as this was in Adamant Pond, an unconnected nearby pond, during migration), https://ebird.org/checklist/S74737571, https://ebird.org/checklist/S74985824, and these checklists with breeding codes https://ebird.org/checklist/S72533154, https://ebird.org/checklist/S72684434, and https://ebird.org/checklist/S72644479. One of these notes: "Continuing. Only saw four chicks at the same time today. Adult fed young something." In general, these grebes were all in Sodom Pond in various places, disparately diving and feeding. Over the course of the summer, at least two of the young disappeared. I only ever saw one adult. |
| Relative Size & Shape | Small grebe. |
| Head | Small grey head. Immatures have brownish crown, but with zebra striping on throat. |
| Feet & Bill | Bill bicolored with a ring around the center, like an RBGU. |
| Upper Back | Blackish. |
| Lower Back & Rump | Not noticed. |
| Wings | Never seen in flight. |
| Breast, Belly, Flanks, Under Tail Coverts | Unseen. |
| Tail | Not noted. |
| IMPORTANT: What similar species were eliminated when making the identification and how was this bird different? | Shape and size indicated grebe, throat for imms. and bill stripe for adult eliminated other grebes. |
| Other Notes & Comments | Cute birds. |
| This report was written from notes taken: | Written from Memory |
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