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December 1

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Places to Visit and Explore Nature in Stanley Park Ecosystem Guides: Marine Stanley Park Visitor Map: with Park Features, Trails, and Destinations English Bay

Horned Grebe I've enjoyed many hours sitting by the water's edge on English Bay watching horned grebes dive for small fish. You can too. Pick a spot close to the water and wait. There's not much point in chasing after the grebes! I'm always surprised by their underwater speed; about equal to my fastest walking speed on soft sand, and their 'deviousness' . If a grebe is followed it usually manages to travel in the direction - opposite !!! - to the one I've taken. There have been many times when I've waited without seeing a single grebe; turned to watch some other bird(s), and upon looking over my shoulder found a grebe at my back! From my exprerience a horned grebe seldom reappears where it began a dive and usually travels 5 to 10 meters before resurfacing. Horned grebes can be seen diving far from shore in water over 10m deep but it is far more interesting to see them work the nearshore area where the water is just a few meters deep and small fish seem to gather. When observing horned grebes over a period of an hour or more, I've noticed a pattern in their fishing behaviour. Individual grebes will travel up and down the ~100m length of English Bay's sandy beach and make 2-3 passes in 40-60 minutes. So be patient, keep still, and the grebes will likely appear. Horned grebes tend to be 'loners' and hunt individually. Occassionally you'll see them in pairs and less frequently in small groups of up to 4 - 6 birds [ Are these family groups? ].       Field Guide Entry: Horned Grebe

Stanley Park Explorer http://www.stanleyparkexplorer.ca Produced by Peter Woods naturalist@stanleyparkexplorer.ca           Revised: May 20, 2011