{"id":19399,"date":"2015-02-03T06:02:00","date_gmt":"2015-02-03T13:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=19399"},"modified":"2025-07-22T15:57:16","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T20:57:16","slug":"three-frames-of-a-western-grebe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/02\/03\/three-frames-of-a-western-grebe\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Frames Of A Western Grebe"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WesternWestern Grebe – Setting I – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/2500, ISO 400, -0.7, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

I photographed this Western Grebe at Farmington Bay WMA<\/span><\/a> in October of 2014, all of the images are of the same grebe but with a slight change in direction the look of the water is different.<\/p>\n

The image above was taken where there was nothing behind the grebe so only the blue water surrounds it. It is clean & simple and the bird stands out well from its surroundings.<\/p>\n

\"WesternWestern Grebe – Setting II – Nikon D810, f9, 1\/500, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Eight frames later the grebe had moved further east and there was a bit of vegetation behind it that reflected on the water that created interesting patterns around the bird.<\/p>\n

\"WesternWestern Grebe – Setting III – Nikon D810, f8, 1\/800, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Ten frames later the grebe had moved even further east where the vegetation was thicker so there was less blue and more greens, golds and tans reflected on the water.<\/p>\n

I like all three versions but probably favor the third image because of the intricate reflections with swirly patterns and the open bill of the grebe.<\/p>\n

Your mileage may vary. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Life is good.<\/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","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I photographed this Western Grebe at Farmington Bay WMA in October of 2104, all of the images are of the same grebe but with a slight change in direction the look of the water is different. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":150648,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_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":""},"categories":[27,1022,697,26,161],"tags":[4004,699,970,4620,877,707,4094,958,3996,4014,4095],"class_list":["post-19399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-davis-county-utah","category-farmington-bay-wma","category-utah","category-western-grebes","tag-adult","tag-aechmophorus-occidentalis","tag-autumn","tag-fall","tag-grebe","tag-grebes-2","tag-marsh","tag-reflections","tag-water","tag-western-grebe","tag-wetlands"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/western-grebe-mia-mcpherson-2464.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-52T","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":117253,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/10\/20\/bathing-western-grebe-giggles\/","url_meta":{"origin":19399,"position":0},"title":"Bathing Western Grebe Giggles","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 20, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday morning, a bathing Western Grebe gave me the giggles. Amidst global turmoil and my own personal struggles this year, I needed those laughs.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bathing Western Grebe - Score!, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/western-grebe-bathing-autumn-mia-mcpherson-4597.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/western-grebe-bathing-autumn-mia-mcpherson-4597.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/western-grebe-bathing-autumn-mia-mcpherson-4597.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Our Clark's and Western Grebes will be leaving here soon and except for a few downy feathers on this one's forehead it looks like it is ready to take on its first migration.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Molting immature Clark's Grebe, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/clarks-grebe-immature-molting-mia-mcpherson-6424.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-immature-molting-mia-mcpherson-6424.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/clarks-grebe-immature-molting-mia-mcpherson-6424.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pied-billed-grebe-still-water-mia-mcpherson-5452.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pied-billed-grebe-still-water-mia-mcpherson-5452.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pied-billed-grebe-still-water-mia-mcpherson-5452.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pied-billed-grebe-still-water-mia-mcpherson-5452.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":42808,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/10\/24\/immature-pied-billed-grebe-running-on-the-water-with-its-prey-at-farmington-bay\/","url_meta":{"origin":19399,"position":4},"title":"Immature Pied-billed Grebe running on the water with its prey at Farmington Bay","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 24, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I took a series of action photos of this immature Pied-billed Grebe running on the water with its prey as it was being chased by another grebe that was trying to steal the food this young grebe had caught.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Immature Pied-billed Grebe running on the water with its prey, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pied-billed-grebe-juvenile-prey-running-mia-mcpherson-8978.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pied-billed-grebe-juvenile-prey-running-mia-mcpherson-8978.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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