Western Grebe walking. Ocean Shores, WA. 7 Mar 2012. Photo copyright Larry Engles.
In the Sibley Guide to Birds I wrote that Western and Clark’s Grebes are “incapable of walking”. I thought they could only push themselves along on their bellies, but I should have known that I was flirting with danger by writing such an absolute statement. Soon after the book was published I heard that they are capable of walking, although they do it rarely and it’s not very easy for them.
Now Larry Engles has emailed me with a really nice series of photos confirming that Western Grebe can walk. One photo is here, and you can see the rest of the series at Larry’s website.
http://www.larryenglesphotography.com/p1008746841/
It looks like this bird is tip-toe-ing, and rather uncomfortable doing so…. But sonofagun he’s walking like a toddler — baby’s first steps !
Evolution…
In September of 2009 I saw Pied-billed Grebes walking & standing at Farmington Bay WMA in northern Utah. Some of the images of them are posted today on my blog at http://www.onthewingphotography.com/wings/2012/10/23/a-rare-sight-to-see-standing-pied-billed-grebes/