Western Grebe

Erika found me three Western Grebes on 1 November 2021 at KGY Point in Olympia. We have seen only a few Western Grebes in Olympia. Local birders tell us that for the pst 30 years Western Grebe numbers have fallen significantly. This observation is supported by LaPorte et al. (2020) who write that the Puget Sound area has witnessed major declines of these birds from the 1970s to 2007—like up to 90% for wintering populations. Fortunately, during this same time, winter numbers have increased along the California coast.