Pied-billed Grebe on the Tuolumne River Parkway Trail

If it seems like you've heard of Pied-billed Grebes (Podilymbus podiceps) a lot lately on this blog, you would be right. I've been doing this blog for almost four years now, and I've mentioned Pied billed Grebes just four times, but two of those have been in the last three weeks. And now again today. Why? They've appeared on my section of the Tuolumne River, the Parkway Trail, and they've just been daring me to take pictures. This one was in the slough at the west end of the trail, and the sun angle and ripples on the water combined to make a memorable scene.

They are very shy, but as I walked back towards the stairwell, I was able to get a closer shot of the bird in the willow thickets. I've been watching the river along the trail carefully for two years now, so it seems to me that I would have noticed these birds if they were present, but I never have until last month. The newly arrived Common Goldeneyes are also still hanging out. Today they had moved downstream to the pond across from the stairwell at the west end of the trail.