photograph by Mia Surakka

seasons grebeings

Wittnessed this scene in may, painted it in august, only posting it now cause i painted with new oil paints and it took loger than expected to dry

Doodle babies from the past few weeks :P

And so...I saw a Black-Crowned Heron, and this is all I have to show for it 😭 Had to have a little laugh about it!

the pied-billed grebe is a small, stocky waterbird found throughout both north & south america, dwelling primarily in ponds and marshy habitats. their dark brown coloration allows them to often blend in to the reeds in their habitats. unlike many other waterbirds, they do not have webbed feet; however, they do have ‘lobes’ that extend off the side of the feet and help them paddle. they rarely fly; when threatened, they will often dive below water. they are known to be shy and reclusive in nature. baby grebes do not swim well, but stay afloat by being carried on both parents’ backs. sometimes, parents will even dive underwater with the chicks on their backs. they mainly feed on invertebrates and crustaceans; their sharp beaks allow them to easily extract meat from the shells of crayfish and other prey.