While walking along a levee at Eagle Bluffs this afternoon, I encountered a lone eared grebe amidst throngs of American coot. This small, slender grebe is primarily a "Western bird," breeding on freshwater lakes of the Northern Plains, Intermountain West and Great Valley of California. Come fall, they head for Texas, Mexico, the Desert Southwest or the Pacific Coast.
Unlike horned grebes, which are usually seen alone or in pairs during migrations, eared grebes tend to migrate in large flocks and stage in massive numbers on alkaline lakes of the Great Basin each fall. While they are classified as "uncommon migrants" in Western Missouri, today's visitor at Eagle Bluffs was considered to be rare based on eBird data.
Though my afternoon walk was an effort to get some exercise while adhering to social distancing regulations, I always bring my binoculars, knowing that unexpected sightings occur on a regular basis. More often than not, that decision is rewarded.
Unlike horned grebes, which are usually seen alone or in pairs during migrations, eared grebes tend to migrate in large flocks and stage in massive numbers on alkaline lakes of the Great Basin each fall. While they are classified as "uncommon migrants" in Western Missouri, today's visitor at Eagle Bluffs was considered to be rare based on eBird data.
Though my afternoon walk was an effort to get some exercise while adhering to social distancing regulations, I always bring my binoculars, knowing that unexpected sightings occur on a regular basis. More often than not, that decision is rewarded.
