Last evening we sat on the dock watching the nesting grebes with binoculars. Their is a rhythmic quality to their daily routine. While one grebe incubates the eggs, barely moving other than occasionally turning its head from side to side, the mate is swimming and diving nearby.
After a period of time, without any perceived communication, the swimming grebe will stop diving and quickly swim to the nest. Once alongside he dives and brings gifts of weeds that are carefully tucked under the sitting bird. Then, as fast as a blink of the eye, the nester slides headfirst into the water! Simultaneously as one bird leaves the other enters. It happens so smooth, and fast that it would not be noticed without careful observation. If you turned your head away for a moment you would not know the mate was now incubating eggs.
This pattern repeats itself over and over ceaselessly throughout the day and night. Rednecked Grebe eggs can hatch any time from mid June through the first week of July. So, we may see baby chicks soon.
Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist
I have been watching this incredible red neck grebes return to Anchorage, Alaska. I work on Elmendorf AFB at Eagle Glen Golf Course as a Laborer. We have a large irragation pound used for watering our 18 hole golf course.
We observed these Grebes last season, and now that they have returned, we notice some odd changes.
The nest is very inadequate this year. I spotted one egg one day, and the next it was floating half in and half out of water. She wasn’t sitting on the egg. This nest is constructed very poorly.
A fellow laborer told me that they will have two nests. One floating on the water as a decoy, while the other is well hidden from natural predators. Is there any truth to this information????
Sincerely; Fred
No decoy, they are stupid. Ours started building their nest on the ice this year before it went out. Then they moved to a floating sign and have built a 2′ thick nest and are now sinking the sign. I think we have some really retarded Grebes this year. Sorry to blow your theory, but they are really fun to watch. Thanks, Gail