Lake Merced, San Francisco, CA.
Lake Merced
Black Phoebe in Silhouette /
Flycatching at dusk near the concrete bridge at Lake Merced.
Evening Feeding /
A Western Grebe at Lake Merced fishes continually to meet the demands of its relentlessly persistent progeny.
The begging calls were insistent and musical, syncopated and designed to draw attention. Whenever the parent emerged from the depths, with or without a fish, the calls would ring out until they were silenced by the parent descending into the dark water.
Rising with a fish, the parent swims further into open water to find safety, then transfers the catch to the young Grebe.
The chase then begins again immediately.
It was amazing to imagine the adult underwater in the darkness pursuing and catching fish. There couldn't have been much light, if any, reaching the fish below.
This young Western Grebe is getting a great start in life.
Eventually it got too dark and the pair wandered off, begging calls still piercing the cool night air.
Tree Swallow Food Delivery /
Photographed off the concrete bridge at Lake Merced, SF.