46 Red Necked Grebe

• A group of Grebe is called a; Water Dance.  How cool is that?
• They have lobed feet rather than webbed toes. 
• They breed in fresh water forested areas.  The nest is generally on reed mats in a marsh.  The parents don't stay with the eggs at night.  Safety? When the eggs hatch the Water Dance of young 4-6 split up half climb on mom's back half on dad's.  Each parent then feeds and cares for the young they now have.
• They are semi-colonial with up to 20 pairs in an area with separation of 160 feet between nests.
• They winter along both coasts.
• They are well known for their mating dance, kind of like two penguins doing a slow dance breast to breast.  Cool.
• They also have a hard time getting up off the water.  You will see them running with their short legs and small wings taxiing down the water runway.
• The winter color is a dull grey (bottom picture) compared to the vibrant red brown neck of the spring and summer.  One surfaced about 3 feet from us at the Digby NS docks.
• They eat a great deal of their own feathers and will even feed them to their young.  It is thought it helps in digestion.  Who knew?  Birds get "feather balls".