Tweets,

In the new spirit of diversity, I thought I would share an observation from
several months ago:

I was watching a Pied-billed Grebe forage at the south edge of Lake Union
(Seattle's industrial/recreational lake). It would dive *under* the algae
billowing from the bottom of the lake, and I could see its progress by the
occasional air bubble ascending (from either its exhalations, or dislodging
of accumulated expired oxygen from the algae?).

A healthy looking trout (about 10", apologies to anglers for lack of species
i.d., maybe a rainbow?) would follow this grebe *everywhere*. When the grebe
dived, the trout darted forward to where the grebe entered the algae forest
and would swim just above the algae wherever the grebe progressed. I never
saw either of them catch anything, but I don't think it's unwarranted to
hypothesis that the trout was eating any animal life the grebe flushed.

I watched this for about 5 minutes (then my sailing lesson began: really, it's
so I can go see those seabirds everyone's always talking about, honestly).

--
Michael Patrick - Staff Engineer
University of Washington, Radiation Oncology, Box 356043
1959 NE Pacific St.
Seattle, WA. 98195
mike at radonc.washington.edu
(206) 548-4536