Connecticut Audubon Bird Finder for March 28: Red-necked Grebe
Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegena
Written by Anthony Zemba, Connecticut Audubon Society’s Director of Conservation Services
The Red-necked Grebe is a waterbird found in Connecticut coastal waters, rivers, and large inland lakes during the colder months of the year. This member of the family Gavidae (Loons and Grebes) is one of three species of grebes that include Connecticut in its normal range each year (the other two being Pied-billed Grebe and Horned Grebe).
Where to find it: Red-necked Grebes can be found off the Connecticut coast during winter months but begin to move inland as soon as surface ice on our larger lakes begins to thaw. During winter months, look for this bird out over the open waters of Long Island Sound from a rocky headland that offers better lines of sight downward to birds riding the choppy surface. Places such as Bluff Point in Groton, Meig’s Point at Hammonasset Beach State Park, or the Stratford Point Coastal Grassland Conservation Area at 1207 Prospect Drive, Stratford, offer such vantage points.
One has been spotted by various observers this week in the lower Housatonic River estuary. It has been seen from the Birdseye Boat Ramp in Stratford and from the Stratford Point Coastal Grassland Conservation Area. Other birds have recently been reported from the Connecticut River – one in Middletown (viewed from Harbor Park) and on the river in Portland (viewed from Indian Hill Road).
What if the bird isn’t there: During migration, many are also seen at the larger inland lakes in the state. Just about any large open surface water may host one or a pair as the ice begins to recede. For instance, I have seen this bird on Lake Pocotopaug in East Hampton, Lake Congomond in Granby, and Batterson Pond in New Britain. Some of the larger man-made reservoirs may host one too. Try Nepaug Reservoir in New Hartford, or Barkhamsted Reservoir in Barkhamsted. At this time of year many birders have also reported sightings along Connecticut’s three major river drainages (the Thames, Connecticut, and Housatonic Rivers).
How to find it: Members of the family Gavidae have legs positioned far to the rear of the body. As a result they do not walk well on land and thus spend most of their lives on the open water. Red-necked Grebes are thus best searched for by scanning out over the open water with your binoculars until you find a gaviform (i.e. “loon-like”) bird with a stout, straight bill and longer neck on a somewhat submarine-shaped body. Like loons, these birds can dive for extended periods, so some patience and perseverance may be necessary.
What it looks like: As stated above, these birds have a loon-like body, but their silhouette is distinctive. Attached to the streamlined, low-profile body is a large, thick neck that often appears to widen toward the head. The large head often appears angled at the back, while the front sports the stout straight bill that is typically tilted downward as opposed to the upward tilt of a cormorant, or the forward pointing position of the Common Loon. There is no upward curve to the base of the bill like in the Red-throated Loon. This shape in silhouette is helpful in the winter when the bird is sporting drab non-breeding plumage.
Non-breeding plumage consists of a dark capped head and nape, and a brownish gray body contrasting with a white throat and light gray cheeks with a pale patch extending toward the rear of the neck. It does not transition into the striking russet red color of its namesake until very late winter. By now, we should see the red necks of the breeding plumage becoming more pronounced each day, contrasting with the white or light gray cheek patches, and – in good light – yellow at the base of the bill. The plumage of both sexes are similar.
Conservation status: The Red-necked Grebe is not included on Connecticut’s list of Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Species. But it is not a game species like the various species of ducks and geese that reside along with it offshore in winter.
Connecticut Audubon Bird Finder is edited by Tom Andersen.
Photo by Andrew Reding, Carolinabirds.org.
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