Date: 4/5/24 1:51 pm From: Geoffrey Hill <hillgee...> Subject: [ALbirds] Western Grebe at Guntersville
I was able to relocate the Western Grebe at Guntersville Reservoir, but it took some effort. I started around 720am at the Trail of Tears boat ramp and the beach area in Guntersville State Park. I spent about 90 minutes scanning the lake from all angles along this shoreline. Even though it did not seem like a windy morning up in the park, on the south shore of the lake there was a stiff wind with a lot of chop on the lake. There were very few birds in the lake out from this south shore, probably because of the chop and wind. I finally gave up on finding the grebe from that location and drove around to Seibold Boat Ramp on the other side of the lake. To see open water from this location, you have to walk out onto the wooden pier at the boat ramp and look to the left. There were way more birds on this side of the lake, and in with some loons and cormorants was the Western Grebe. It was a long scope view, and the bird was backlit by the morning sun so I identified it mostly by shape. Western Grebes have a very distinctive shape (except from Clark’s Grebe).
Maybe on a calm day it will drift back toward the south shore but for now, it is a tough bird to see. Geoff Hill, Auburn
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Dr. Geoffrey Hill
William P. Molette Professor
Dept. Biol. Sci.
331 Funchess Hall
Auburn University
Auburn, AL 36849-5414
