An end-of-the-hike surprise

I have always depended on the kindness of other birders. Yesterday was no exception as I finished my walk around Spring Lake at John A. Roebling Park, a.k.a. Trenton marsh.

As I was finishing my loop around the lake, I spotted at least three yellow-rumped warblers in the trees near the parking lot. They were my first sightings of the year.

In that nearly hour-long trek around the lake, I saw not a single bird on the water. Not a mallard in the marsh or a gadwall on the lake. Most days, the marsh and lake are teeming with waterfowl, but not on this drab gray Saturday afternoon.

As I approached my car, I spotted a woman with binoculars and a camo-covered long lens in the lot. I said hello and noted that although I’d heard and seen many cardinals and blackbirds, not a single bird was on the water.

To my delight, she motioned toward the lake and said, “There’s a pied-billed grebe out there.” She pointed to where the bird was dunking itself, and soon I spotted it, my first of the year.

A short while later, the woman — Stephanie — spotted a second grebe. They were fairly close to each other, and for a while it seemed one or the other was underwater. Finally, they started diving nearly synchronously. The sky was heavily overcast, so conditions weren’t great for photos. I never did get a clear shot of both of them floating, so I had to settle for a couple of frames of one of them.

It turned out a third grebe was swimming and diving farther back on the lake, adding to the charm of the moment. I’d never previously seen two grebes simultaneously, let alone three.

I’m grateful to Stephanie for pointing out birds I otherwise would not have noticed or had the pleasure of watching cavort on a lake otherwise barren of wildlife. 🦅