Red-necked Grebe
Since bird records began for Salter Grove in 2002, the Red-necked Grebe has only been seen three times. In early April of 2019, a solitary individual with a slightly rufous neck was seen diving in North Cove. The second sighting in early January of 2023 was also of a lone bird in South Cove, diving near the small islets south of Rock Island. The third sighting in early February 2024 was again of a single bird diving in the Providence River as seen from the foot of Audubon Hill.
It wears its dark gray nondescript winter plumage when it visits Salter Grove but can be distinguished by its yellow dagger-like beak on a relatively slender and long neck. Patience is required to get a good look for positive identification because it spends more time underwater than sitting on the surface. Like other birds that dive for fish, it will often surface some distance away from where it entered the water for the chase.
The Red-necked Grebe is the largest of three grebes that migrate through Salter Grove, followed by the Horned Grebe, with the Pied-billed Grebe being the smallest. However, size comparisons would not be helpful in their identification because they usually occur as singletons and are usually seen at a distance. More helpful would be their differences in plumage color, and beak and body shape. The Pied-billed Grebe has a chicken-like beak and blocky body. The Horned Grebe has a well-defined white cheek and neck and a relatively shorter beak.
Like all grebes, the Red-necked Grebe has lobed feet which are set far back on its body. While good for propulsion underwater, this posterior placement results in awkward movement on land. It also shares the habit of eating large amounts of its own feathers, a behavior that likely protects the soft intestines from the sharp fish bones and crustacean shells ingested. (Checkout the amazing images of feather plug regurgitation in the Pied-billed Grebe species account.) Parents feed both feathers and fish to chicks and will carry and shelter juveniles on their backs for days until they can swim independently.
The Red-necked Grebe nests in the temperate inland water bodies of Asia, Europe, and North America. The populations breeding in North America are found in Alaska, western and central Canada, and the northern United States east to Minnesota. After the breeding season, North American Red-necked Grebes migrate to winter in the estuaries or bays along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.