This is one of 1.5 million grebes that float on the salty waters of California’s Mono Lake. The red volcanic hills that surround the lake cast their colors upon its waters at dawn, giving this grebe a golden feeding ground. The reflected color gives this image both its visual punch and its story. For more on the Eared Grebe, see: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Eared_Grebe.html