cametobe wrote:
"I saw enough EARED GREBES and HORNED GREBES that I got so I could tell the
difference between them."

Because you're a self-described neophyte, and because Ralph Hoffman (1927)
cautioned, "Great care must be taken even by a trained observer", I'll mention
that Horned Grebes far outnumber Eared Grebes on Puget Sound in winter and some
can look a bit like Eared Grebes until an Eared Grebe shows up. Watch for the
Eareds slighter build, "giant" head, grayish face, and tiny, "upturned" beak.
Eareds tend toward fresh water moreso than Horneds.

Of course, you just may have been seeing both. Perhaps Cliff Drake or someone
else who visits Shilshole/Golden Gardens will chime in. And the Seattle CBC
results from last weekend might reveal something about the relative abundance
of Horned and Eared Grebes in the vicinity.
--
Scott Richardson
Olympia, Washington
salix at halcyon.com

Hoffman, R. 1927. Birds of the Pacific States. The Riverside Press, Cambridge,
Mass. 353pp.
An excellent regional guide even now.