Lee's Photoblog
Horned Grebe
Posted by Lee (Fort Frances Ontario, Canada) on 15 May 2009 in Animal & Insect and Portfolio.
The beauty of living here in this part of the country is we are on the western edge of the Eastern Flyway for migratory birds. That means we are also on the eastern edge of the Central Flyway for migratory birds. Strong winds can blow a species off course, and force them to take the scenic route. The Horned Grebe usually resides just west of us across the prairies and north to Alaska. It is not rare to see them here. It is just strange. This guy was obviously just resting before re-orienting himself.
The Horned Grebes main diet is fish, some crustaceans. The "Horns" for which the bird is named are actually yellow tufts of feathers above and behind the eyes present only during the bird's breeding season.
This little guy was right downtown along our waterfront. He was enjoying our supply of minnows. The bright red eyes are another distinguishing feature of this grebe.
Thank you for visiting my site. I consider myself to be lucky living where I do. Everyday I wake up to a wealth of interesting visual scenarios. Most of my pictures are Wildlife and Nature taken from around the area. The area specifically being Fort Frances Ontario on beautiful Rainy Lake. Feel free to comment on what you see. I look forward to hearing from you. If you like what you see, please rate it. Better yet, bookmark the site and drop back often. I will be posting daily.
All images are copyrighted by Lee Oelke Photography. They cannot be reproduced, electronically, or by printing without my written consent. Should you be interested in any of my images, please contact me.
@aragem: Thank you very much. Please visit again.
@Lylou & Roland: Thank you. Have a great weekend.
r00t from Csorna, Hungary
great post. lovely colors and very good focus on subject. well done.
15 May 2009 5:58am
@r00t: Thank you. They are a diving bird. He did not stay on the surface very long for me.
Alun from Cheshire, United Kingdom
Simply amazing, what a great shot, and the light catching the head makes the shot
15 May 2009 6:47am
@Alun: Thank you. He was in the shade. The sunlight just caught its head right.
Linerberry from Sumner, Christchurch, New Zealand
Such exquisite markings!!! A beautiful image Lee:-)
15 May 2009 7:07am
@Linerberry: Thank you Liners. They are rather cute in their own way.
P J W Miller from Chase Terrace, United Kingdom
Perfect example of a well framed nature shot
15 May 2009 7:17am
@P J W Miller: Thank you Peter.
JanW from Rotterdam, Netherlands
What a richly colored bird, beautiful! A very good shot Lee. Super!!
He looks a bit smaller than his nephew Fuut in Holland. (Great Crested Grebe).
Have a nice weekend.
15 May 2009 7:37am
@JanW: Thank you. They are only about 15" long and weigh about a pound. I will enjoy my weekend. Weather providing, I'm going wildlfie spotting.
@Elena Kotrotsou: Thank you.
Zing from Hamilton, New Zealand
Interesting bird, you have captured it well. Love the texture of the water too.
15 May 2009 8:50am
@Zing: Thank you. It had just popped up from a dive. I was ready and snapped away.
Linda from Riga/Sigulda, Latvia
such a cutie:), a great capture, i love the water circles around the bird
15 May 2009 8:52am
@Linda: Thank you for the compliment. I like the water droplets on its back. The ripples around it are from it just having surfaced.
@Baby Sis: Thanks Sis. TGIF today, and it's a long weekend. Doing anything exciting?
kisskool from fontainebleau, France
the colors of this bird are very nice, again a good photo
15 May 2009 10:15am
@kisskool: Thank you.
Lorraine from Gatineau, Canada
A vision, wow, the horned Grebe, the reflection and the water oh my gosh the water is sumptious, bravo Lee, one day, I have no doubt I will see your photo on the cover of a magazine, only a matter of time1
15 May 2009 10:26am
@Lorraine: Thank you Lorraine. That is a very large to compliment for me. Being published is a goal of mine.
Veronique from Sarrouilles, France
the water is especially good ! lovely bird too
15 May 2009 10:37am
@Veronique: Thank you. The light, the water, and the bird all work well in this image.
zOOm from Paris, France
A lovely and uncommon specimen Lee ! Light is really nice.
15 May 2009 10:41am
@zOOm: Thank you. The bird was in the shadows. Its head was in the sunlight. It seemed to work well.
Hidalgo from Herunen, Finland
Never seen that bird. Your photo is very exquisite, very sharp and with sensitive colors.
15 May 2009 11:02am
@Hidalgo: Thank you for the compliment.
Marion from Cincinnati, United States
excellent capture. Again the lighting and composition and colors are all superb! Great shot and again thanks for all the info. You are a living encyclopedia :)
15 May 2009 11:08am
@Marion: Thank you Marion. You are to kind to me. I do feel like an encyclopedia some days.
@Marie LC: Thank you Marie.
Suzanne Labbé from Granby, Canada
I just love this little grebe. You did a great picture of him. Details, colours, compo. Bravo.
15 May 2009 11:36am
@Suzanne Labbé: Thank you very much Suzanne.
bluechameleon from Vancouver, Canada
Beautiful shot and light! The colours and reflection are fabulous!
15 May 2009 12:16pm
@bluechameleon: Thank you.
@Loner: Thank you for the compliment Sonja.
Susan from Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States
Another gorgeous shot of the wildlife that surrounds you....Love the way you framed this one, with that slight ripple of water around this lovely bird!!! Excellent catch!!
15 May 2009 12:41pm
@Susan: Thank you Susan. I just hope I have enough time to capture all the wildlife around me, before it disappears, or moves on.
@Veronelle: Thank you.
@Daniel: They are a small diving bird. They are quite colourful.
@BoB: Thank you very much
Evelyne Dubos from Le Mans, France
The ray of light on its head makes the shot. Vey nice on the deep blue of water.
15 May 2009 2:23pm
@Evelyne Dubos: Thank you Evelyne. The sun makes his tuffs stand out that much more.
vu@granby - Wolfgang from Granby, Québec, Canada
Great light in this shot, bravo!
15 May 2009 2:34pm
@vu@granby - Wolfgang: Thank you very much. It was not easy. He would just pop up then dive again. In the shaodws, in the light, and never where I wanted or expected it to show.
Shar from Regina, SK, Canada
Nice capture...would he be catching the red-eye flight? LOL
15 May 2009 2:37pm
@Shar: Thank you. That is a real good one Shar.
Lesley from Lincoln, United States
Beautiful capture. The water's lovely, too.
Shar's play on words is also great! ;)
15 May 2009 3:05pm
@Lesley: Thank you for the compliment.
Eric Cousineau from Sherwood Park, Canada
Another fantastic capture Lee! Well done! ;-)
15 May 2009 3:10pm
@Eric Cousineau: Thank you Eric.
Mariana from waterloo, Canada
What a little pretty one ! Photo is outstanding ...Colors, clarity, light, duck, water, reflection - all PERFECT !!!
15 May 2009 3:48pm
@Mariana: Thank you very much.
Viewfinder from Bradenton, FL, United States
Great lighting and detail; I really like the red eyes.
15 May 2009 5:46pm
@Viewfinder: Thank you very much.
Kathe from Marquette, Michigan, United States
I've been meaning to comment about how you get so many different species (especially of birds) than we do, even though you're probably less than a day's drive from us.
I'm jealous. ;^)
15 May 2009 6:15pm
@Kathe: Thank you. Like I say, I'm lucky to live where I do. I also think because the area is between two major migratory flyways it helps. I'm just pleased you enjoy viewing my images.
Ajay from Pune, India
He he... what a cute face and the stillness of the water, mildly disturbed with waves is looking so beautiful.
15 May 2009 6:20pm
@Ajay: Thank you Ajay.
Ca†≈ from Ouchy, Switzerland
Amazing colours !
Bravo for this shot with water details .
15 May 2009 7:37pm
@Ca†≈: Thank you very much, I appreciate your compliment.
eva from Rouen, France
I love this marvellous duck ! very coloured ! and I love the rounds on the water ! very very nice and vivid !
15 May 2009 8:09pm
@eva: Thank you for the compliment.
john4jack from Corvallis, Oregon, United States
Excellent composition. Lovely lighting of the head.
15 May 2009 8:44pm
@john4jack: Thank you Jack. It was no easy task.
@Onlymehdi: Thank you very much
B. Thomas from Arlington, Texas, United States
Another beautiful bird and great shot!!
15 May 2009 10:13pm
@B. Thomas: Thank you Barbara.
mats from Texas, United States
Another beautiful one coming to visit you. Thanks for sharing, have a great week end Lee.
16 May 2009 12:43am
@mats: Thank you Mats. You have a great weekend also.
Ricardo from Valencia, Venezuela
Wow! beautiful image! the texture and color on the water are incredible! great light too!
16 May 2009 2:32am
@Ricardo: Thank you Ricardo.
Bill Jennings from Bay Area Northern Calif, United States
Wow - I really like the coloration of this image: the composition, and the water is divine. Great shot Lee!
16 May 2009 3:49am
@Bill Jennings: Thank you Bill.
@Eleftheria: Thank you
shallowregret from Kongsberg, Norway
great work, you live in a great place and know how to use it :)
16 May 2009 7:25am
@shallowregret: Thank you. It is full of photo ops. And I do enjoy of minute I'm out and about.
dkc from Xanthi, Greece
great looking bird Lee and its red eye is a great detail too...love it!
16 May 2009 9:55am
@dkc: Thank you. They certainly do have bright red eyes, don't they.
jamesy from christchurch, New Zealand
stunning shot Lee I love his bright red eyes
17 May 2009 8:46am
@jamesy: Thanks Debbie.
@Kerri: Thank you very much.
@Magda: Thank you for the compliment.
@Hema Iyer: Many Thanks Hema.
@Sarah: Thank you.
