Crex Meadows is one of my favorite places, near home, to go and take wildlife pics. The best times are spring and fall. In the spring you can see things like migrating warblers, common loons, and trumpeter cygnets. During the fall the high lights are rough-legged hawks and large numbers of sandhill cranes. During both the spring and the fall you can find pied-billed grebes, like this one that I found on a trip to Crex on October 25th.
I spotted him on Phantom Lake. I could not tell at first what he was trying to eat, I thought it might be a fish, but it turned out to be a king sized frog. The frog was so large that I did not think that the grebe was going to be able to eat it but, after repositioning it a few times, he lifted it up in his beak and then down the hatch went the frog. Doesn't he look content in the last pic? 
28 comments:
Wow, what a sequence! I loved the pied-bills - so cute, but clearly also formidable (if you're a frog)!
Wow!! I have a set of pics where a wagtail eats a HUGE dragonfly. An impossible sight it was
Now here is something even more astonishing! Such a big frog it was. The duck guy may forget about hunger till spring!
Great series of pictures. I wonder if the frog wriggled around in his tummy or if it was killed before eating? Surely it was killed first LOL. Helen
Absolutely a great set of photos. How lucky we are that you got them.
Amazing that he got that huge frog down his throat! And I swear I see a satisfied smile on his face in the last photo! These are a great series of photos!!
That's mother nature!
I loved the photos from your "My world" post.
They are so cute and innocent looking, I would never guess they could gobble down a frog like that! Great shots!
Great shots...Love the whole sequence!
Wonderful selection.
That's an amazing series of photos. Yes, the grebe looks quite pleased with its meal.
Wow what an amazing set of shots, well done.
Cheers and Happy New Year!
Regina In Pictures
Oh my goodness! What an amazing series of shots. I can't believe and didn't know they could eat them whole like that. And then I got to the last picture and fell out laughing because he looks like he's grinning, content and full! :-D
I started off thinking "awww" then I was like "oh no!" lol. What a great set of photos tho. But this is why I never watch those nature shows, ha!
Wow, these were amazing!
I started to smile while the pictures started to show, and then "geeee," and ehhh" ayayay" and hmmm. I feel bad for the toad or frog, but the duck seemed happy, full and satisfied. Well, what can we say?! I was amazed how you capture everything! Hahaha! Very entertaining
I am lost for words at this amazing series of the bird feeding. Every image as clear as the next. It certainly was the mother of a meal for that bird. I like frogs very much and could not help but feel a bit sorry for this one. But all creatures great and small must have their feed.
Absolutely stunning photography. Thanks for posting it.
Stunning series of pictures. I bet it was amazing to watch Smiles B
oh my frog sorry! nice capture, you have a very amazing series of photos. Visit also my watery video here and thanks.
What an awesome series of images!
Well done.
Wow! That was cool. Back in May when we were up at Crex we seen one trying to down a leach, but it must have been too much and he dropped it.
Yep - more than contented. Great sequence. Not a good day for the froggy.
WOAH! That was great. And if you scroll down real fast, the images come together like a flip-book!
Very cool post!
- Dolan Geiman
DolanGeiman.Blogspot.com
Tremendous sequence. He looks like a boa constrictor swallowing an elephant!
He does have a real self satisfied smile on his face in the last shot.
I also wonder if it wiggled inside, how weird. Great series of shots.
Wow..that was a huge frog..I love grebes and this is a great series of photos..
That's a pretty amazing series of pictures. I guess "Sometimes you're the bug and sometimes you're the windshield!"
Can't help but wonder--what are you taking these glorious pictures with???
Where did I get the erroneous idea that sweet little duckies ate water-weeds and snails? I had no idea they were so dangerous...to frogs, I mean.
As usual Ecobirder...I learned a lot here. Thank you so much and...
Happy New Year!!!
Poor little frog...but beautiful series of photos - I really enjoyed them.
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