One of my favorite grebes is a Silvery Grebe with its striking red eye. I photographed some in Patagonia a few years ago and would like to share that experience with you.
It was in December and the winds in Chilean Patagonia are notorious for being strong and brutal. It’s very common to experience all four seasons in one day but in December the katabatic winds can exceed well over 50mph at any time —you just never know. Nothing could be more true for our time there.
We photographed the grebes for a few days as they were busy mating and interacting. There were loads of them working diligently carrying large bundles of nesting material in their bills back to their mates. They spent a lot of time bickering and fighting over these nests; they even had coots trying to steal their nests. Though they are small they can be fierce when it comes to defending their property. Watching this behavior was extremely fun and kept our attention.
The grebes had built their floating nests very near to the shore. On one of the days there seemed to be a lot more of the hustle and bustle as they hurriedly worked to strengthen their nests. They tried desperately to board these makeshift nests so that they could copulate, even well before the nests were able to stay afloat. As we left that evening the skies were looking ominous and a storm was sure to come. I couldn’t help but think of those grebes and their half floating nests as the winds and rains lasted all night long.
Early in the morning our small group anxiously returned to the location where our worse fears were realized, all of the small nests had sunk and the grebes were now more frantic than ever to get these nests back up. I watched as one pair in particular worked against the strong winds trying to secure their half sunk nest. All the time fighting off other grebes that tried to overpower them.
I was shooting with a long telephoto lens on a tripod in a seated position. Then the unthinkable- the female got on top of the nest, her head was facing us and we all hammered down. Smiles filled our faces. Then she turned away from us and we all were groaning and secretly begging her to turn to face us again. Then without a moment’s notice she let the wind part her feathers and she began to lay an egg…holy*** are you kidding me, no, it can’t be…but it is, she is laying an egg. I turned to look at David Tipling who was one of the folks with me and he smiled with a wink. I could not believe my eyes and to my amazement she laid that egg then lifted slightly to shiver it out completely. I was shocked and delighted at the same time as tears were lining my eyes. It was a moment to remember.
