This noon at Ebeys Landing I witnessed an interaction between 3
SURF SCOTERS (males) and 3 HORNED GREBES, unlike anything I have seen
before. All 6 were close to shore and in a tight bunch. The Scoters would
dive, and the grebes would immediately follow. When the Scoters
resurfaced, the grebes would surface right next to them, and often would
have a small fish in their bills. I watched this for about 15 minutes, as
they made multiple dives. I concluded that the Scoters were eating
somthing on the bottom, and while doing so were disturbing fish that hide
on the bottom, allowing the grebes to catch them.
Has anyone seen this kind of behavior of grebes before? They
clearly were taking advantage of what the Scoters were doing. The grebes
were in full breeding plumage, which made for a wonderful sight.

************************
Robert Cleland

Professor (Emeritus), Biology Dept. Box 355325
Univ. of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195-5325
Phone (206) 543-6105; FAX (206) 685-1728