I had three RED-NECKED GREBES on the lake at Rocky Gap State Park back on
March 20.  I neglected to report this sighting at the time (sorry - guess I
should have).  They were the only ones I've seen this spring, which does
seem unusual.


Elaine Hendricks
Greenbelt, MD  (PG County)



On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 4:17 PM, Bob Ringler <> wrote:

> Dan,
>
>    Red-necked Grebes are somewhat an irruptive species much like
> crossbills, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Black-capped Chickadees, or Snowy Owls
> though not necessarily for the same reasons. The presence of Red-necked
> Grebes here is probably dependent on food availability farther north more
> than anything else. Numbers vary greatly from year to year. Some years there
> are hundreds (rare), other years there will be small numbers (usually the
> case), and some years there are none (rare). If you have the Maryland
> Birdlife CD you can read the spring season reports over the years since this
> information is not available on eBird.
>
> Bob Ringler
> Eldersburg MD
> 
>