Clearlake's Dancing Grebes
The great blue heron is the unofficial bird of Lake County, but many residents think it should be the western grebe. Without question the most abundant water bird on Clear Lake is the majestic western grebe and this spring there are thousands of grebes nesting on the lake.
Few birds can match the western grebe's courtship dance. It's not only breathtaking, it is probably the most photographed event among wildlife photographers. But, it's not just their mating dance that makes the grebe one of the most popular water birds. Their other behavioral traits are just as interesting.
Both the male and female build the nest and raise the young. They use tule stalks to make a floating mat and then build the nest on the mat. The female will lay from one to four eggs and it takes 23 days for the eggs to hatch. The young leave the nest soon after being hatched and they often ride on their parents backs. This allows the chicks to rest and to escape danger.
The grebe is most at home in the water. In fact, with the exception of seeing grebes on their nests few people have ever seen a grebe on land. Actually, their legs are positioned so far back to aid in swimming that they would fall over if they attempted to walk.
Without question the grebe is the world's fastest diver. Even bass boats roaring across the lake at speeds in excess of 60 mph will rarely hit a grebe. At the last second just when you think the boat would hit the grebe, it dives and escapes unscathed.
The western grebe has a close cousin called the Clark's grebe. Both grebes are common at Clear Lake. Whereas the western grebe has a dull yellow or olive-colored bill and red eyes surrounded by the dark head crown, the Clark's grebe has white surrounding the eye and a bill that is bright yellow to orange-yellow.
The sounds made by the two birds are also different. The western grebe makes a single sharp kreet, whereas the Clark's grebe makes two kreets.
Both western and Clark's grebes eat mostly insects and fish. They will also eat clams and crayfish. They are the ultimate fishermen and can chase down the smallest minnows and pick them off one-by-one like popcorn. Their primary food source at Clear Lake is the threadfin shad.
Grebes are migratory and fly south during the winter. How they fly such long distances is a mystery. They are not considered strong flyers and, in fact, very few people have ever actually seen one fly, except to skitter across the water.
Clear Lake is home to more than 20,000 western grebes and they can be found at just about any location. During the spring and early summer months they nest back in the tules. Other times they will be out in the middle of the lake.
Grebes are classed as a migratory bird but there is a stable population of western grebes at Clear Lake year-round. However, the population can double or even triple during the spring nesting season.
Food is the criteria for how many grebes will be on a lake. In 1990 when the threadfin shad population was at it peak in Clear Lake there was an estimated 50,000 grebes here. At that time it was considered the largest population of grebes anywhere in the world. Of course, once the shad disappeared most of the grebes left for other lakes.
The past three years have seen the grebes return to Clear Lake by the thousands because of the abundant food supply.
It's their courtship dance in the spring that draws most of the attention.
The male approaches the female and does a series of dips with his head. She responds with like dips and then they ran across the surface of the water with they necks arched in perfect unison. Their final act is to dive exactly at the same time. This maneuver is called "rushing" and the birds actually swim so fast they hydroplane.
At one time the western grebe nearly disappeared from the lake and the West. Fifty years ago, DDT was sprayed on the water to control the mosquitoes and gnats. The pesticide was ingested along with the fish that the grebes ate which resulted in the eggs having too thin a shells and young didn't hatch. However, since the banning of the DDT, the grebes have made a remarkable comeback.
Currently, the majority of the grebes are nesting in the Long Tule Point area of the lake. Long Tule Point can only be accessed by boat and it's located just north of Corinthian Bay near Lakeport.
Like all the other shore birds on Clear Lake, grebes are an important part of the ecosystem. They are also a tourist attraction.
Tourists from throughout the country come to Clear Lake just to photograph the birds.
It's just another reason that Clear Lake is such a special place.
Article Courtesy of the Lake County Bee
