Querulous Grebes with Owls, Grouse and Sparrows

About this episode

Lang Elliott shares his experience observing the calls of red-necked grebes at Raab Lake, blending with the sounds of other wildlife.

Querulous Grebes at Raab Lake May 5, 1993, 4:30am. Raab Lake, Turtle Mountains, North Dakota. © Lang Elliott. With some difficulty, I make my way to the remote Raab Lake in the Turtle Mountains, along the border between North Dakota and Canada. The lake is nearly a mile long. All through the night, I hear the reverberant calls of red-necked grebes, but far in the distance, at the opposite end of the lake. As dawn approaches, the grebes finally come my way and put on a show I will never forget. Mated pairs call together in a duetting celebration, their trembling whinnies and brays blending with one another and echoing across the lake. Ruffed grouse drum loudly from nearby woods and a great horned owl hoots from the treetops. Though still quite dark, a song sparrow sings loudly time and again, as if heralding the coming light. People familiar with red-necked grebes might think their calls are dissonant and hard on the ears. But the querulous grebes of Raab Lake impressed me as being the opposite, their haunting, hypnotic melodies transporting me into a mystical realm of wonder and awe.

People in this episode

Host: Lang Elliott

Topics covered

• grebes
• birds
• nature sounds
• wildlife
• North Dakota

Keywords

• Raab Lake
• Turtle Mountains
• red-necked grebes
• great horned owl
• ruffed grouse
• song sparrow

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Raab Lake, Turtle Mountains, North Dakota, the Turtle Mountains, Canada

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