Kip’s Comments - October 6, 2025

Planned Images and a Couple of Lucky Shots

Sometimes a wildlife photographer just gets lucky. What began as typical critter photography ended up being a couple of bird photos I am happy with.

I was paddling early this morning when the light was low. As a result, all images required long exposures.

Across the pond I spotted a pied-billed grebe moving in the calm water with a nice background. I did my best to approach slowly while also shooting photos. The grebe tolerated me a bit and I shot typical compositions.

Pied-billed Grebe on Wapsipinicon River - Image 1032106

Then the grebe began submerging and popping up where I would not expect it. Unexpectedly the grebe emerged from underwater and was very close to my canoe. I had my camera ready and shot a couple of photos as the grebe took flight.

PIed-billed Grebe on Wapsipinicon River - Image 1032153

PIed-billed Grebe on Wapsipinicon River - Image 1032152

Yes, the images are blurry, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. What you are seeing is an action shot of a pied-billed grebe taking flight - something we seldom see. I like both shots!