This page contains a pied-billed grebe, an American coot and hooded mergansers.

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An adult pied-billed grebe.
[A water bird about half the size of a duck. It has a pointed bill and compact body.]

A view of the grebe's face.
[The bird is facing the camera so both eyes can be seen as it moves through the grass-laden water.]

This bird spends much of its time bobbing its head into the water which produces concentric circles seen here.
[The bird's head faces the camera as it sits in the water amid radiating concentric circle waves.]

This American coot appeard here in early December foraging the water for plant life to eat.
This bird is not part of the duck family and actually has lobed scales on their feet rather than webbing.
[This bird sitting in the water appears to be a strangely colored duck. Its body is grey and its head and neck are black. It has red eyes and a white beak with a dark stripe across it near the tip.]

The American coot profile. It was too far inside the pipe to get any more detail than this.
[The bird is standing in shallow water in a large pipe which forms the underside of an arch for a bridge across the stormwater runoff channel. The birds pointed beak and rounded body (similar to a chicken in both regards) is clearly visible against the light reflecting off the water.]

Several hooded merganser pairs visited the pond in February.
[The image views the right side of a male as a female swims to the left of and slightly behind it. The male has a huge white splotch on its head and an orange eye. The female's coloring is subdued.]

This hooded merganser pair is making tracks across the pond.
[A female swims to the right of a male as we view the male's right side. The two of them have left a long wake in the water.]

The white pattern on this male's head is clearly different from the one on the first merganser photo. This female's coloring nearly blends into the reflections in the pond water.
[The female swims behind the male. This male's white splotch on its head is a very irregular shape.]

During January 2019, I noticed this hooded merganser couple on a nearby pond.
[The two birds sit in the water with both beaks facing to the right. The female is on the left and has her head tucked to her body and it appears her eye is closed. The male on the right with his head upright and the yellow eye prominently displayed in the black section of his head. The front of his body is white then there is a black stripe and then another white section before becoming brown in the back. The top of his back is black and the further section of the back is black and white stripes which extend the same direction as his spine.]

Here's another view of the male hooded merganser from the prior image.
[The birds sits in the water with its beak facing to the left. The feathers on the top of its head appear ruffled. The white section of its head is wider at the base then becomes a point at the upper right similar to a spade on a deck of cards. There is a black dot visible in the yellow eye. The beak is black. The black and white stripes on its body appear to be both in the front neck and along teh back. The side feathers are brown. The water is a greenish brown.]

And another view of the female hooded merganser who appears to be snoozing.
[The birds sits in the water with its beak facing to the left and its head tucked close to its body. The feathers on the top of her head are a medium brown. The feathers on the lower part of her head and along her back are a black-brown. Her belly feathers ar111e a light grey-brown. The water is a greenish blue.]

February 6, 2024 - I noticed this hooded merganser couple on a nearby pond.
[The two birds sit in the water with the male facing to the right and the female facing to the back so her face is not visible. The female is on the left and her head feathers are fanned into a circle. The male's head is mostly black with a white swath from behind the eye to the back of his head. The front of his body is white with a thin black stripe. His body is brown with black and white feathers on top. The female is grey with black and white feathers.]

February 6, 2024 - Back view of the female
[Close view looking straight at the hind end of the female whose head is facing right. Her bill is orange on the bottom and nearly black on top. Her head feathers are puffed nearly into a half-sphere on the back of her head. Her top feathers are black with white stripes going the length of the feather. They are shinier and less matted than the underneath feathers which are all brown.]

February 6, 2024 - A close view of a different female
[Close view of a female facing right. Her bill is orange on the bottom and brownish on top. Her head feathers have a small white streak going from her eye to the back of her head. They are much smoother and closer to her head than the other female. The rest of the head is shades of light brown. Her belly feathers are a light tan while the top feathers are a darker brown.]

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All photos © S. M. Garver