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| This is just part of a flock of 97 Pied-billed Grebes seen at Metzger Marsh on September 21. The species is common here, but I haven't noticed this flocking behavior before. Photo by Kenn Kaufman. |
September 21: Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area was loaded with Pied-billed Grebes during this nesting season, and I frequently saw and heard good numbers when I visited in May and June. But today I was surprised to see a flock of Pied-billeds. They were near the outer dike of the marsh, concentrated in one straggling string, and I carefully counted 97 individuals in this group.
I'm accustomed to seeing flocks of some other kinds of grebes. Out in western North America, Eared Grebes regularly gather in large flocks on lakes, and Western and Clark's grebes will flock up on lakes or on coastal bays. But with a marsh-dweller like the Pied-billed Grebe, I don't recall ever seeing such a concentration.
It's possible that recent activity by anglers and hunters in the marsh has spooked the grebes out into this more open area of the impoundment, but I don't know that. In addition to the flock of 97, I did see other scattered singles closer to the areas of dense vegetation, so at least some of the birds were acting the way I "expected" them to.
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