One quick feeding sequence turned into a lively show at Miner’s Cove. I watched a Pied-billed Grebe feeding on a crayfish in Oklahoma. The bird shook and tossed its catch before swallowing it.
How the Pied-billed Grebe Handled Its Catch
I watched the grebe dive and return to the surface with small prey. When it caught a crayfish, the bird handled that meal differently.
Before this moment, I had seen the grebe surface with other small prey. The crayfish stood out because the bird did not swallow it right away. It stayed at the surface and kept working the crayfish in its bill.
It shook the crayfish hard and tossed it several times. The grebe appeared to remove the claws and a few legs before swallowing it. Those hard parts could make the crayfish more difficult to swallow.
Pied-billed Grebes eat a range of small aquatic animals. Their diet includes fish, insects, snails, and crustaceans such as crayfish. Different prey can require different handling before the bird can swallow it. In this case, the hard shell, claws, and legs seemed to demand extra work.
I have also photographed a Pied-billed Grebe Holding A Shad By Its Tail. That encounter offered another close look at how this small diving bird handles its prey.
Photographing the Shake and Toss
I photographed this sequence at Miner’s Cove in Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge. I made the images on March 10, 2023, at 9:44 a.m.
The action happened quickly, so a fast shutter speed helped freeze the movement. I used a Canon EOS R7 with a Canon RF 100-500mm lens at 500mm.
Camera settings:
- Mode: Manual
- Aperture: f/8
- Shutter speed: 1/3200 second
- ISO: 1250, Auto ISO
- Focal length: 500mm
A Small Bird and a Tough Meal
Watching this grebe work over the crayfish made the encounter memorable. A brief feeding moment showed how much effort can go into swallowing one meal.