Pied billed Grebes Fishing--NARRATED

Watch the throat of this Pied-billed Grebe bulge as he swallows his prey whole. See him eat feathers, sink out of sight, fly, and most of all dive dive dive!
See all my movies on my KZbin channel: JO ALWOOD

[@timsmith3621]

I love grebes. This is the species I see most often, but also see Horned Grebe in the winter. Great video. Great fishing skills!

[@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME]

I share your enthusiasm for these little orphans, Tim. They’re so tiny and drab that they don’t seem to deserve adoration, but I love the combination of adorable and fiercely predatory.

[@dawnanderson5946]

Thanks for the video! Very informative and amazing as always!

[@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME]

+Dawn Anderson Dawn, how nice to see a remark from you on my KZbin channel. I always appreciate seeing your "likes" on my Facebook page. I'm glad you liked this movie, because I put my heart and soul into it. Seeing as how the Pied-billed is on my top ten favorites list, I wanted to do him justice.

[@violina48]

Very beautiful video Jo! Thank you!

[@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME]

+Annemieke van Leeuwen My pleasure, Annemieke, and thank you for the compliment. I loved filming these adorable little predators.

[@deangreen1309]

Nice informative video!

[@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME]

Glad you liked it!

[@hairscrunchy]

i think i saw a pair of these swimming today along with a pair of common mergansers - my mom thought the grebes were ducklings! so exciting to see duck-like birds that aren't mallards or black ducks

[@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME]

See?! Your mom said exactly what I did, that it looks like an orphaned duckling. We've had a couple at the lake in our subdivision this last week, as we always do in spring.

[@rosemcclarren4373]

great video Jo. Thanks for sharing with all of us. Rosie McClarren

[@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME]

+Rose McClarren Rose, hi. I'm glad you liked this movie. Pied-billed Grebes fascinate me, and I loved making it.

[@brianmoore5496]

Thank you for the video!

[@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME]

+Brian Moore It was my pleasure to make the movie, Brian. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@bertanelson8062]

This is very good! First I’ve seen of your vids. Thanks for posting.❤️

[@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME]

Thanks, Berta. The Pied-billed Grebe is one of my favorite birds, and I tried to do him justice. (But I have a couple hundred narrated movies up, and I put my heart into every one of them. You might want to consider subscribing and having access to all of them.)

[@quote_nature]

Thanks Jo for another educational and most enjoyable video. A petite powerhouse fisher and so sweet. In my top ten too! - Cathy

[@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME]

+quoteny How nice to hear from someone else who'd put the grebes in their top ten list. Thanks for the compliment, Cathy.

[@lindengilka4291]

love your videos

[@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME]

+Linden Gilka Why thank you, Linden. I love making them.

[@RickyLJones]

Excellent work as always Jo, I love your videos!

[@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME]

+Ricky L Jones Thanks, Ricky, for the compliment and for always taking time to watch. I wanted to do justice to this little guy, so I worked even harder than usual on his movie.

[@riodante3386]

I still haven't seen this species in the wild, as it is considered a pretty difficult species to see in Costa Rica and usually only is found is the higher altitude mountains here. I live in the south pacific coast. Just discovered your videos and a enjoying them very much, subscribed and am looking forward to more! Ps: I have seen a mating pair of Least Grebes in a small lake up in the colder mountain ranges towards the middle of the country which were very pretty.

[@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME]

Funny thing, Rio, is that my husband and I visited Costa Rica in February. You are so lucky to live in that lovely country. I have one more movie to make from footage I took there--of iguanas. Thank you for browsing around on my channel--AND for answering the question about hybridization of woodpeckers.

[@riodante3386]

Jo Alwood No problem, I just thought it was interesting and wanted to give a bit of insight on the species here in the tropics. Your videos are great and you have a nice sense of humor in your narrations. I do lots of wildlife photography with all the amazing and colorful species down here. And I'm going to Montana in July so I'm hoping to see some cool northern species while I'm there. Thanks for the response Jo !

[@Saturn848]

Thanks for the great information. :-)

[@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME]

You're welcome. They visit the lake in our subdivision every spring and fall, and I've become a fan of theirs.

[@LastMagi0]

Very entertaining

[@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME]

Thanks for commenting. Those little grebes captured my imagination.

[@dskokos77]

Best video I have ever seen.. The one person that disliked this video is the same person who ____________ (Fill in the blank).

[@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME]

doesn't like Ben & Jerry's? Anyway, this is one of my favorites among my videos. Here's another shot at the same pond that I bet you'd like: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5PUfKh3g96Hd9E

[@dskokos77]

@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME lol, nice one. We have a pond out back that a Pied Billed Grebe lived in, but he recently disappeared, which has broken our son's heart. This is why we ended up on your video. Do you know if they behave in such a way where they can leave their nest and come back?

[@ultimatemexicano3535]

Amazing video and nice documentary! Does the hungry grebe really swallow those whole fish while they are still flapping/live?! I wonder, wouldn't such sizable prey (do you know the fish type?) stand any slim chance of turning around to escape the bird's elastic throat/stomach??

[@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME]

Thanks for the compliment. It's nice to hear praise for this movie, especially since the Pied-billed Grebe is one of my favorite birds and this is one of my favorite movies. Most fishing birds are like the Grebe in swallowing fish whole, head first. As for the fish working its way back out of his throat, not that I've heard of. You might be interested in the movie I made about Cormorants: also fishing birds who have to jolly their catch around until they can swallow it head first. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rGK6oJ15nZmNjq8

[@iangoddard5915]

These guys can stay underwater for remarkable time, and swim fast underwater!

[@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME]

They are remarkable birds, Ian, one of my favorites.

[@iangoddard5915]

This is an absolutely lovely video Jo! Yes, they are now a favorite for me too. I had a first sighting last Friday, one of those highlight moments birding... stepping out from behind trees at a lake's edge I happened upon a small duck-like bird on the water about 10 feet away. I startled him and he quickly submerged underwater like a submarine, not a dive down, he just sunk strait down, pausing for a moment with a bit of his back still visible as he gazed up at me, making sure I really was a scary monster, and then he submerged fully, disappearing under water! What the heck did I just see?!! Seconds later his head popped up about 15 yards off shore, an impressive distance to cover so fast. Then he submerged again. I stood there with good binoculars and never saw him emerge anywhere else. I knew about the Anhinga in Florida, but was not aware of an underwater bird in Maryland. Part of the fun of it was wondering if I'd seen something impossible, a period of pure mystery. Later that day I saw two of them floating lazily and found them in my book, mystery solved! They are so cute too!

[@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME]

Ian, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your encounter with the Pied-billed and your success at identifying him. Thanks for taking the time to type it out. By the way, as long as you appreciate diving ducks, I should mention that I have a couple more movies you'd enjoy: the Hooded Merganser (kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYS9gqBsiciemNk) and the Double-crested Cormorant (kzbin.info/www/bejne/rGK6oJ15nZmNjq8).

[@lindengilka4291]

i use a cannon sx60 with 65x optical zoom. I was at the richmond sewage lagoon ottawa ON there were pied billed grebes but very far away they are very skittish . I love videotaping wild life but mostly bird.

[@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME]

+Linden Gilka I'm not familiar with that Canon camera. But no matter which camcorder we videographers use, we can't get the distance shots that someone with a high quality camera can. We just have to find a way to get close. Oh well.

[@lindengilka4291]

what camera do you use your videos are so detailed

[@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME]

+Linden Gilka I use the lightest of the pro camcorders, a Canon XF300. But even with a pro camcorder and a telephoto lens, I can't get good shots at a distance. Pied-billed Grebes are so shy and skittish that I had to film from my car window (which gave me some tilted shots--grrr). Anyway, my patience was rewarded. It's a reward in itself to read that you like the detail in the footage. Thank you. Do you videotape wildlife? If so, what equipment are you using?