I was told by another birder that he had observed the Western/Clark's Grebes courting each other. My dream is to observe this behavior, as it is one of the most beautiful dances one could witness.  However, these birds are not yet in breeding plumage, so I was not sure exactly what he observed.  I made it my mission to watch these birds closely for an hour or two. What I saw was one bird catching a fish, then presenting it to the other.  It was a very pre-scripted performance. The one catching the fish kills it, and with crest flared, presents it to the other.  The other bird does not have a flared crest, and keeps its head very low.  I witnessed this several times.

Step one, catch the fish:

's

Step two, kill the fish:

Western Grebe Step three, present the fish:

Western Grebe Step four, accept the fish:

Western Grebe Step five, consume the fish under the careful supervision of the presenter: Western Grebe The captor of the fish kept his/her crest flared the whole time.  It was amusing to see how closely he/she watched the acceptor. It is reminiscent of a parent-chick relationship. I think there will be some baby Grebes in the not too distant future.