Pied-billed Grebe

Part bird, part submarine, the Pied-billed Grebe is common across much of North America. These small brown birds have unusually thick bills that turn silver and black in summer. They are expert divers of rivers, marshes, lakes, and estuaries. They use their chunky bills to kill and eat large crustaceans along with a great variety of fish, amphibians, insects, and other invertebrates.

This little Grebe was observed catching a Creek Chub near the Fall Mills Dam area on January 23, 2015.  Note: Pied (having two or more different colors)

A quick dive down and sucess

Down she goes

That was good.

 

Frozen Lake and Water Fowl

The lake was almost frozen completely (January 10, 2015). Fruitless efforts of breaking the ice with large rocks by bank fishermen was the only activity seen except for a small area occupied by 90+ water fowl (Mallard Duck, American Coot, Pied-billed Grebe, Ruddy Duck, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup)

A "Raft" (swimming water fowl of different species) of 90+

Mallard Ducks

American Coots, Ring-necked Ducks, Ruddy Ducks

American Coots

Ruddy Duck (after a hard landing on the ice)

Purple Finch

The Purple Finch is the bird that Roger Tory Peterson famously described as a “sparrow dipped in raspberry juice.” For many of us, they’re irregular winter visitors to our feeders.. Separating them from House Finches requires a careful look, but the reward is a delicately colored, cleaner version.

With a major cold front arriving today (January 7, 2015), two Purple Finches arrived at my backyard feeders with other House Finches. I was able to get these photos through two layers of window glass.

Birding in Tazewell County (2014)

Species Name (in Tazewell County)	Located	All Totals for 2014
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck	Texas	23
Graylag Goose (Domestic type)	N. Taze.	2
Domestic goose sp. (Domestic type)	Falls Mills	30
Snow Goose	Richlands	1
Ross's Goose	Tenn.	1
Canada Goose	Falls Mills	6,758
Greater White-fronted x Canada Goose	Tenn.	1
Mute Swan	Tenn.	2
Tundra Swan	Smyth Co.	1
Egyptian Goose	Texas	9
Muscovy Duck (Domestic type)	Falls Mills	35
Wood Duck	Falls Mills	119
Gadwall	Falls Mills	10
American Wigeon	Falls Mills	13
American Black Duck	Burkes G.	2
Mallard	Falls Mills	1,416
Mallard (Domestic type)	N. Taze.	12
Blue-winged Teal	Burkes G.	339
Northern Shoveler	Falls Mills	11
Northern Pintail	Tenn.	1
Green-winged Teal	Falls Mills	38
Canvasback	Tenn.	1
Redhead	Falls Mills	18
Ring-necked Duck	Falls Mills	316
Greater Scaup	Burkes G.	1
Lesser Scaup	Falls Mills	44
Black Scoter	Falls Mills	2
Bufflehead	Falls Mills	169
Common Goldeneye	Tenn.	1
Hooded Merganser	Falls Mills	56
Common Merganser	Burkes G.	28
Red-breasted Merganser	Falls Mills	60
Ruddy Duck	Falls Mills	122
Helmeted Guineafowl (Domestic type)	Falls Mills	8
Ruffed Grouse	Lake Witten	1
Wild Turkey	The Cove	51
Common Loon	Falls Mills	1
Pied-billed Grebe	Falls Mills	322
Horned Grebe	Falls Mills	12
Red-necked Grebe	N. Taze.	9
Neotropic Cormorant	Texas	2
Double-crested Cormorant	Falls Mills	209
Brown Pelican	Va. Beach	15
American Bittern	Falls Mills	1
Great Blue Heron	Falls Mills	116
Great Egret	Burkes G.	27
Snowy Egret	Texas	145
Little Blue Heron	Texas	1
Cattle Egret	Texas	2,000
Green Heron	The Cove	17
Black-crowned Night-Heron	Tenn.	19
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron	Texas	7
White Ibis	Va. Beach	26
Black Vulture	Falls Mills	437
Turkey Vulture	Falls Mills	590
Osprey	Falls Mills	16
Golden Eagle	Burkes G.	1
Northern Harrier	Burkes G.	1
Sharp-shinned Hawk	The Cove	11
Cooper's Hawk	Falls Mills	11
Bald Eagle	Falls Mills
Red-shouldered Hawk	Falls Mills	18
Broad-winged Hawk	Burkes G.	351
Red-tailed Hawk	Falls Mills	88
Rough-legged Hawk	Burkes G.	2
Buteo sp.	Mendota	1
eagle sp.	Mendota	1
American Coot	Falls Mills	1,312
American Avocet	Tenn.	3
Semipalmated Plover	Tenn.	1
Killdeer	Falls Mills	168
Spotted Sandpiper	Burkes G.	23
Solitary Sandpiper	Tenn.	3
Greater Yellowlegs	Tenn.	1
Willet	Lake Witten	1
Lesser Yellowlegs	Burkes G.	11
Sanderling	Tenn.	1
Dunlin	Burkes G.	1
Least Sandpiper	Burkes G.	8
Wilson's Snipe	Burkes G.	14
Bonaparte's Gull	Falls Mills	21
Laughing Gull	Va. Beach	5
Ring-billed Gull	Falls Mills	146
Herring Gull	Falls Mills	124
Great Black-backed Gull	Va. Beach	75
Caspian Tern	Va. Beach	3
Black Tern	Texas	15
Forster's Tern	Falls Mills	17
Royal Tern	Va. Beach	7
Rock Pigeon	Burkes G.	309
Inca Dove	Texas	4
White-winged Dove	Texas	17
Mourning Dove	Falls Mills	855
Yellow-billed Cuckoo	Burkes G.	2
Black-billed Cuckoo	Georgia	1
Eastern Screech-Owl	Lake Witten	1
Great Horned Owl	The Cove	1
Barred Owl	Burkes G.	1
Chimney Swift	Falls Mills	16
Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Richlands	34
Black-chinned Hummingbird	Texas	1
Belted Kingfisher	Falls Mills	70
Red-headed Woodpecker	Burkes G	32
Golden-fronted Woodpecker	Texas	1
Red-bellied Woodpecker	Falls Mills	45
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Richlands	3
Downy Woodpecker	Falls Mills	17
Hairy Woodpecker	Burkes G.	3
Northern Flicker	Falls Mills	53
Pileated Woodpecker	Falls Mills	38
American Kestrel	Burkes G.	75
Merlin	Burkes G.	1
Peregrine Falcon	Mendota	2
Eastern Wood-Pewee	Burkes G.	32
Acadian Flycatcher	Burkes G.	15
Willow Flycatcher	Falls Mills	7
Eastern Phoebe	Burkes G.	76
Ash-throated Flycatcher	Tenn.	1
Great Crested Flycatcher	Burkes G	7
Couch's Kingbird	Texas	1
Western Kingbird	Texas	1
Eastern Kingbird	The Cove	103
Loggerhead Shrike	Burkes G	8
Yellow-throated Vireo	Richlands	1
Red-eyed Vireo	Falls Mills	2
Blue Jay	Falls Mills	228
American Crow	Falls Mills	1,645
Fish Crow	Va. Beach	2
Common Raven	Falls Mills	72
Horned Lark	Burkes G	30
Northern Rough-winged Swallow	Richlands	30
Purple Martin	Buch. Co.	7
Tree Swallow	Burkes G	1,363
Barn Swallow	Burkes G	714
Cliff Swallow	Richlands	1
Cave Swallow	Texas	11
Carolina Chickadee	Falls Mills	71
Tufted Titmouse	Falls Mills	85
Red-breasted Nuthatch	Mendota.	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	Falls Mills	23
House Wren	Tenn.	2
Carolina Wren	Richlands	38
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	Burkes G	8
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Burkes G	1
Eastern Bluebird	Falls Mills	215
Wood Thrush	The Cove	7
American Robin	Falls Mills	647
Gray Catbird	Falls Mills	68
Brown Thrasher	Burkes G	75
Northern Mockingbird	Falls Mills	113
European Starling	Falls Mills	11,524
Cedar Waxwing	Richlands	136
Blue-winged Warbler	The Cove	1
Golden-winged Warbler	The Cove	2
Nashville Warbler	Tenn.	5
Mourning Warbler	Richlands	1
American Redstart	Burkes G	2
Cape May Warbler	Richlands	4
Magnolia Warbler	Richlands	1
Blackburnian Warbler	Richlands	1
Yellow Warbler	Burkes G	5
Chestnut-sided Warbler	Burkes G	5
Black-throated Blue Warbler	Mendota	1
Palm Warbler	Lake Witten	18
Pine Warbler	Tenn.	1
Yellow-rumped Warbler	Lake Witten	26
Prairie Warbler	Burkes G	2
Wilson's Warbler	Burkes G	2
Yellow-breasted Chat	Richlands	2
Eastern Towhee	Richlands	77
American Tree Sparrow	Richlands	2
Chipping Sparrow	The Cove	110
Field Sparrow	Burkes G	87
Savannah Sparrow	The Cove	18
Grasshopper Sparrow	The Cove	17
Song Sparrow	Falls Mills	215
Lincoln's Sparrow	Burkes G	4
Swamp Sparrow	Burkes G	1
White-throated Sparrow	Richlands	55
White-crowned Sparrow	The Cove	37
Dark-eyed Junco	Falls Mills	199
Summer Tanager	Tenn.	1
Scarlet Tanager	Richlands	5
Northern Cardinal	Falls Mills	35
Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Falls Mills	11
Blue Grosbeak	Tenn.	5
Indigo Bunting	Burkes G	33
Dickcissel	Burkes G	1
Bobolink	The Cove	19
Red-winged Blackbird	Falls Mills	1,125
Eastern Meadowlark	Burkes G	119
Rusty Blackbird	Falls Mills	9
Common Grackle	Burkes G	356
Boat-tailed Grackle	Va. Beach	11
Great-tailed Grackle	Texas	29
Brown-headed Cowbird	Burkes G	71
Orchard Oriole	The Cove	6
Baltimore Oriole	The Cove	19
House Finch	Richlands	56
Purple Finch	Richlands	0
American Goldfinch	Falls Mills	1,483
House Sparrow	Falls Mills	369
TOTALS (194 species) - Tazewell (149)	67 species	39,736