Birdland: Eared Grebe Comes a’Courting

In the summer months, when they are in breeding mode, Eared Grebes sport golden wisps that fan out from behind their bright red eyes as they dance and dive and run across the water in elaborate courtship displays. These small waterbirds breed in shallow wetlands in western North America and head by the hundreds and thousands to salty inland waters to feast on brine shrimp before heading farther south. This Eared Grebe was spotted in mid-May at Bluff Lake just east of Park Hill — an uncommon sighting. Photo by Mark Silverstein