The Breeze February 2015

Horned Grebe
This small water bird is a great
candidate for the “before and
after” photo. In breeding plumage,
they have a distinct yellow tuft
behind each eye, black cheeks, and
contrasting reddish neck feathers.
When they are here in winter,
they are lacking the yellow tufted
“horns” and are greyish overall with
a white cheek. However, their eye is
consistently red, hence the nickname
devil diver or water witch. They have
a short bill with a white tip. They
dive for small fish and eat their own
feathers, possibly to filter fish bones
for further digestion. They typically
nest on floating vegetation. Young
birds are fed feathers to start the
“filter mat” early and can be seen
riding on their mother’s back. They
are great divers, very awkward on
land, and NOT a duck!
Photographed by Eric Horan
Common Loon
This winter visitor can be seen and occasionally heard on the May River. To be honest, I
recognized the sound because of the movie On Golden Pond where Katherine Hepburn
says “loon” 147 times…approximately. They breed in summer on fresh water lakes in the
Northern US and Canada. They migrate to our area to spend time on water that does not
freeze. Their “down South” plumage is grey overall with a white throat. Their dagger-like
beak even fades in color. On Golden Pond, they have a striking black and white pattern on
their back and a black head. They are great swimmers and divers, and rarely walk. They
hunt for small fish and are able to expertly handle slippery fish with projections on the roof
of their mouth pointing back toward their throat. For decreased buoyancy, their bones are
solid, which probably contributes to the necessary 30 yard runway to get off the water. In
flight, their feet hang out the back unlike ducks in flight. You got it! NOT a duck.
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