Eared Grebes in the Kewaunee Harbor

I stopped at the Kewaunee Harbor to see if I could find the two Eared Grebes that had been seen recently. It was 90, hot and sunny, and I get to the harbor and it’s 70 and foggy, with the wind blowing straight in off the lake. I was sitting in my truck, debating on whether or not to even waste my time walking out there, when I happened to look out and see them right off the pier, maybe 100′ away. I figured since they were right there, I might as well try to get photos, even if the weather wasn’t cooperating. I walked out on the pier and they would swim out a little, but then come back in. So I sat down on the pier and waited, hoping they would come closer to me. After about 20 minutes, a handful of fisherman showed up and started making their way out. It worked in my favor, as the grebes swam back in towards me and away from them. They came fairly close and despite the really foggy conditions, I was still able to see them pretty well. I’ve only seen this species one other time, so I don’t have much experience with them. They acted like a pair though, rather than just two birds. One of them, presumably the male, would hang out from the pier about 20′, while the other would dive and feed right along the wall. If someone would walk past, the one along the wall would quickly swim out to the other. They hung very close to each other at all times. The one that was keeping an eye out, had an orange wash to the bottom of the golden plumes versus the other with just gold coloring. Photos below are from the afternoon there. Enjoy!