{"id":45617,"date":"2017-03-17T06:01:18","date_gmt":"2017-03-17T12:01:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=45617"},"modified":"2025-07-23T13:48:46","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T18:48:46","slug":"clarks-and-western-grebes-return-to-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/03\/17\/clarks-and-western-grebes-return-to-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/","title":{"rendered":"Clark’s and Western Grebes Return to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday in my post about the pair of Sandhill Cranes and the flooded marshes at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge<\/span><\/a> I mentioned that I had seen some first of the year grebes and swallows that excited me.<\/p>\n

I’m happy that the Clark’s and Western Grebes have returned for their breeding season at the refuge and I look forward to photographing them while they are here. I’m excited about the swallows too of course.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult Clark’s Grebe with a fish – Nikon D810, f8, 1\/2500, ISO 500, -1.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I did take a few photos of the grebes yesterday but they were from a distance and the lighting conditions were not the best so I thought I’d share a few older images of both grebe species that I have taken in the past at the refuge.<\/p>\n

The Clark’s Grebe above was taken in 2015 and I took a few hundred images of it as it swam around with a fish in its bill for several minutes.\u00a0 I never did see the grebe consume the fish because it swam west and I lost sight of it.<\/p>\n

\"WesternWestern Grebe in a goofy pose – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/1250, ISO 500, -1.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

This Western Grebe image was also taken in 2015 about a week later than the Clark’s Grebe above. The Western Grebe was busy preening when I first started photographing it and one loose feather floated away while the grebe struck this pose.<\/p>\n

I thought the pose looked rather goofy myself and that is why I kept this photo. I like catching birds in goofy poses or when their expressions look funny to me.<\/p>\n

\"Wet-headedWet-headed Western Grebe Portrait – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 400, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I also like catching the birds I photograph looking slightly less than perfect. While some photographers might delete those files I like to keep and share them like this wet-headed Western Grebe photographed in 2016 which had been under the water and when it came back up the feathers on its head looked spiky which in turn made me laugh.<\/p>\n

None of us are perfect and I don’t expect the birds I photograph to be perfect either.<\/p>\n

It is wonderful to have these grebes back at the refuge.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a><\/span> to see more of my Clark\u2019s Grebe photos plus facts and information about this species. 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’m happy that the Clark’s and Western Grebes have returned for their breeding season at the refuge and I look forward to photographing them while they are here. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":143695,"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":[124,27,1148,162,26,161],"tags":[4155,699,4016,4432,4157,730,877,707,4094,4046,4106,4014,4095],"class_list":["post-45617","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-clarks-grebes","category-utah","category-western-grebes","tag-aechmophorus-clarkii","tag-aechmophorus-occidentalis","tag-clarks-grebe","tag-fish","tag-funny","tag-goofy","tag-grebe","tag-grebes-2","tag-marsh","tag-portrait","tag-prey","tag-western-grebe","tag-wetlands"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/clarks-grebe-fish-mia-mcpherson-8627.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-bRL","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":101210,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/03\/29\/clarks-and-western-grebe-images\/","url_meta":{"origin":45617,"position":0},"title":"Clark’s And Western Grebe Images","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 29, 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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2024","format":false,"excerpt":"On my most recent trip to Bear River MBR, I stopped my Jeep on the west side of the auto tour loop to take a few images of a pair of Clark's Grebes.","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":"Pair of Clark's Grebes on the last day of winter, 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-adult-pair-mia-mcpherson-0776.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-adult-pair-mia-mcpherson-0776.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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