Celebrating World Wetlands Day 2024
Pied-Billed Grebe Chicks Hatch on Merrywing Pond Important Bird Area (IBA)
“World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year on 2 February. This day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea.”
In the latest uplifting moment on Anguilla’s wetlands, I am happy to announce the hatching of not one but five Pied-billed Grebe chicks on Merrywing Pond Important Bird Area.
Once considered a regular visitor to Anguilla’s salt ponds, this species assumed breeding resident status at this site over the last several years. Who can resist the island’s charms - right?
New ownership of the golf course property surrounding the ponds has meant aggressive foliage removal of critical mangroves and the Papyrus Plants that provide shelter for their nests and chicks.
Despite these challenges, the last remaining pair constructed this simple open-air nest and hatched five chicks.
Birds of the World tells us that Pied-billed Grebes lay two to eight eggs on a floating platform surrounded by tall emergent vegetation.
Eggs are described as follows:
“Fresh eggs are bluish white to greenish white, rarely turquoise. Unmarked. In 2 d after laying, they become whiter, then gradually take on brown staining, and become polished by incubation process ( Board et al. 1984, Muller 1995b).”
Both parents incubate the eggs for 23 to 27 days. The female takes over the majority of the work during the hatching period.
Chicks are described as follows:
“Chicks semiprecocial and nidifugous. Behaviorally more like altricial species; will drown if too long in water. Can leave nest soon after hatching; chicks are carried on adult's back and brooded extensively during first week after hatching. Chicks move from nest bowl to adult's back <1 h after hatching, while still wet or after drying. Climb onto back of adult beside or over adult's tail. In the wild, chicks appear dry and fluffy after 1 h of brooding; in captivity, complete drying of feather sheaths takes ≤6 h.”
Both adults feed the chicks starting one hour after hatching and continue until the chicks are independent. This happens between 28 and 68 days post-hatch.
These two parents have their work cut out over the next several weeks. I wish them luck as they attempt to raise their offspring to independence!
Take a walk on the wild side!
the chicks have such snazzy coloring!
I hope we can visit them in March. Thank you for another beautiful story. Keep ‘em coming please!! 🙏🏽😎🌈