|
English and Scientific names: |
Red-necked Grebe, Podiceps grisegena
|
|
Number of individuals: |
9 juveniles, 1 adult in winter plumage |
|
Locality: LOUISIANA: |
Caddo Parish, and then Bossier Parish on the Red River |
|
Specific Locality: |
Bishop Point Rec. Area, about 20 miles south of Shreveport. A dirt road goes 1/4 mi east of the launch to the river. The 10 grebes were on the Caddo Parish side near us and swam across the river (lake) to the Bossier Parish side. |
|
Date(s) when observed: |
Sep, 26, 2005 |
|
Time(s) of day when
observed: |
2:00 to 2:20 PM |
|
Reporting observer and address: |
Hubert Hervey, Stonewall LA |
|
Other observers accompanying reporter who also
identified the bird |
Patricia Hervey |
|
Light
conditions (position of bird in relation to shade and to direction and amount
of light): |
Full sun. light from
behind, over our right shoulder. Good conditions |
|
Optical equipment: |
Nikon: 8 X 40 action,
wide angle, new. Switched immediately to spotting scope, Swift
Sportsman 40-60 power on Bogen tripod. |
|
Distance to
bird(s): |
100 yds at first, 200 -
300 lat |
|
Duration of
observation: |
20 minutes, we lost
them as we started watching a Royal Tern that passed by several times. Then
couldn't relocate the Grebes as they had crossed the river. |
|
Habitat: |
Lakelike river, with a slow current and calm waters on both sides of the river. Tree limbs, water weeds, water hyacinth, and dikes across the river. |
|
Behavior of bird: |
At first I thought there were fewer birds, but others kept popping up out of the river until 10 were counted swimming, not as a tight group like a raft of ducks, but more as individuals taking up 60 - 90 yards as they crossed. Not feeding but with heads erect and on alert. |
|
Description: |
Larger than Pied-billed Grebes (also present) smaller than Double-crested Cormorants (also present). Dark gray, light belly, white in the secondary of one bird seen "stretching". occasionally a white stripe would show in the wing, near the water, erect head flat topped lined up with top of head and top of bill. Bill lighter underside long and pointed. tail not visible, back dark, one bird showed white under and around back of eye. neck uniform gray. |
|
Voice: |
not heard |
|
Similar
species: |
Pied-billed Grebe, much larger. Eared and Horned Grebe, no white in neck, also larger. Black-bellied Whistling Duck, no tail, longer in neck, erect posture, not in a tight flock, no duck like bill. Western/Clark's Grebe, neck not long enough, head heavier and triangle shaped. Cormorant and Anhinga, many differences. |
|
Photographs
or tape recordings obtained? |
I never got into high dollar photography, as I enjoy seeing what I am seeing to much to take the time to take good pictures. Selfish maybe. |
|
Previous
experience with this species: |
Jan 2000 Lake Wright Patman TX. Nov 2004 all over Cal, and AZ, June 2005, all over northern MN, nesting, with young on backs, or swimming between adults as Canada Geese would behave |
|
Identification aids: |
at time of
observation: I double checked with National Geographic Birds of NA, and
Sibley Field Guides that I had on hand. |
|
This description is written from: |
Written mostly from memory, with a few notes not really needed taken at the time. This trip was taken because hurricanes have often produced unusual sighting on the Red River since it was dammed in 1995, such as Sabines Gull, and Sooty Tern following TS Francis. |
|
Are
you positive of your identification? If not, explain: |
95 per cent. The only problem is that there were so many (10) birds in all. I understand that BNA records larger numbers than that in flocks, and I think the hurricane winds caused them to move together, whether they came from the Gulf as some suggest, or were caught on the western side of the circulation as they were trying to more SE and just wound up where the winds took them, which I what I prefer to believe. |
|
Reporter: |
Hubert Hervey
|
|
Date and time: |
30 Sep 2005 |