It was late in the season to be nest-building, but the previous nest of this pair of western grebes had been raided by a raccoon, and so they had to start over. Karen spotted this elegant couple on her early morning walk, busily gathering reeds, ‘so absorbed in their work,’ she says, ‘they didn’t seem to notice me’.
These two birds are mirroring each other, so their nest-building activity might also be a courtship ritual. Western grebes have intricate display rituals, including the weed dance, where the birds hold tufts of water weeds in their bills and paddle to maintain an upright position, chest to chest.
USA
Karen's work often focuses on the urban wilderness of the Los Angeles area, where animals survive between freeways and residential construction. She currently leads workshops to Bosque del Apache (New Mexico) Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming) and Africa. She also teaches classes at the California Center for Digital Arts and at Tuttle Cameras in Long Beach, California.
Help us harness the power of photography to advance scientific knowledge, spread awareness of important issues and nurture a global love for nature.