{"id":14718,"date":"2014-04-08T05:23:30","date_gmt":"2014-04-08T11:23:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=14718"},"modified":"2025-07-22T14:31:20","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T19:31:20","slug":"reflections-and-a-western-grebe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/04\/08\/reflections-and-a-western-grebe\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflections And A Western Grebe"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WesternA Western Grebe head on with a wiggly reflection – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1\/2500, ISO 640, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

The water impoundments at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge<\/a><\/span> are alive with the sounds of calling<\/a> <\/span>Western Grebes once again. I have missed their calls all winter long\u00a0plus their flashy red eyes and dashing black and white plumage. The numbers of Western and Clark’s Grebes are still low but that will change rapidly because the days are getting longer and warmer.<\/p>\n

Yesterday I photographed this Western Grebe on the south side of the auto tour route and I loved the head on pose which gave me a great view of both cherry red eyes, the bill with water dripping from it and a\u00a0wiggly reflection which elongates the\u00a0reflection of the head and\u00a0shows three\u00a0pairs of eyes.<\/p>\n

\"WesternWestern Grebe drinking and a squiggly reflection\u00a0– Nikon D300, f6.3, 1\/3200, ISO 640, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

This photo was taken\u00a0one frame after my first image where the Western Grebe has raised and tilted its head to drink the water it had caught in its bill and the reflection was squiggly; or in more grown up terms, serpentine-like. The Western Grebe is beautiful enough on its own but I feel that these reflections add even more interest.<\/p>\n

I am looking forward to photographing Clark’s and Western Grebes through the spring, summer and fall at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge as the adults court, mate and rear their young.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Western Grebe photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n

P.S. Yesterday I also saw my first of the year Caspian Terns, Franklin’s Gulls and Swainson’s Hawks! Yay!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The water impoundments at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge are alive with the sounds of calling Western Grebes once again. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":150631,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[124,27,1148,26,161],"tags":[4004,699,877,707,4094,4756,2504,4014,4095],"class_list":["post-14718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge","category-avian","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-utah","category-western-grebes","tag-adult","tag-aechmophorus-occidentalis","tag-grebe","tag-grebes-2","tag-marsh","tag-red-eyes","tag-reflection","tag-western-grebe","tag-wetlands"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/western-grebe-goofy-reflection-mia-mcpherson-2142.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-3Po","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":56402,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/03\/04\/preening-western-grebe-at-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/","url_meta":{"origin":14718,"position":0},"title":"Preening Western Grebe At Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 4, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Migrating Western Grebes are already being reported at Utah Lake, Bountiful Pond and Farmington Bay WMA and before too long they will be found at other locations here in northern Utah.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Preening Western Grebe and reflection, Bear River National Wildlife Refuge, Box Elder County, 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won't be long before the high, scratchy kweea kweea calls of Clark's Grebes are heard in Utah's Bear River National Wildlife Refuge if they haven't already arrived.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Clark's Grebe at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/clarks-grebe-utah-mia-mcpherson-8308.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/clarks-grebe-utah-mia-mcpherson-8308.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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2022","format":false,"excerpt":"On my trip up to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge last week I was delighted to see and hear both Clark's and Western Grebe species from the auto tour loop.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Spring Clark's Grebe close up, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/clarks-grebe-spring-mia-mcpherson-5961.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/clarks-grebe-spring-mia-mcpherson-5961.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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