Horned Grebe

23 November 2019 found Erika and me watching about a dozen Horned Grebes feeding along the Bremerton, Washington, ferry dock. Although this grebe is known to feed cooperatively in groups, our birds appeared to be individually hunting. In the winter they consume fish and crustaceans. The birds swallow small prey under water, but bring larger items to the surface, where they manipulate, pinch and disable their catch (Stedman 2018). The grebe in the second photo carried what appears to be a crab, which seemed dead. The grebe made repeated dives with its crab, returning with it to the surface—until the last dive, when the bird reappeared without the crab. Presumably the crab was eaten under water.