If you enjoyed John Oliver’s campaign to make the Puteketeke the bird of the century, you may be happy to hear that the winter habitat of the Great Crested Grebe includes our very own Yodogawa river!

I will be keeping my eyes peeled when I’m near the Yodogawa. I’m told that they can be found anywhere (not everywhere) along the river. They are common enough that a seasoned birder could find them easily. That would make me immensely happy to see one in the wild.

I’m told they are of one species, but can have slight differences and can be considered subspecies, but they could interbreed. Right now, being winter, they will not have their crests and will have a silvery or whitish sheen. They’ll be on the water, not on the bank. They dive, so you can find them other places besides Yodogawa, like ponds or lakes, so long as it is deep enough for them to dive for food.

I am surrounded by ornithologists.

by OsakaWilson