It is 0430. No problem, been up since 3 when the crazy cat attacked my feet. Time to wake the Editor for a road trip. One of her favorite birds is the Pied-billed Grebe. A friend reported seeing some baby Grebe chicks at one of my favorite wetland sites a few hundred miles south of us. Coffee cups full. We pack up and head south.

We arrived at the wetlands after a nice breakfast stop. The sun was already over the horizon and birds were winging in the air. One of my bucket list birds is the Black Necked Stilt. Some were reported at the wetlands also. As we drove around one of the “click ponds” I spotted about a half dozen Black Necked Stilts. Click. The doohickey does its magic and I added another first to my growing list of birds captured. The wetlands have a series of drainage and filtering ponds. We drive around where the baby Grebes were reported but no luck. Some familiar feathered friends are there though. We see Glossy Ibis eating huge tadpoles, Little and Great Blue Heron juveniles, Red Winged Blackbirds, Snowy and Great Egrets, Anhingas and even a female Northern Harrier. I was hoping the Harrier had not spotted the chicks and grabbed them. Undaunted we make another trip around the ponds. I zoom in on a lone Pied Billed Grebe and lo and behold. On its back was a cute little baby Grebe taking a ride, baby duck style. Got it! The editor was happy to see it too! I revisited the spot a few weeks later and found mom and the Grebe chick doing well.

Seek and you shall find. That is a promise you can count on but it takes some effort on our part. Our trip was successful and we made it safely home in spite of the Editors frequent driving tips she gave me. Blessings. Harry