So this is the sequence of actions taken by a Pied-billed Grebe that had caught a small perch with a diameter greater than the bird’s throat. Apparently standing up in the water with erect neck allowed the bird’s msu7cles to pull the fish, head-first down into the stretched throat…then a drink to lubricate the process, then the bird swims around with enlarged crop.
This occurred this morning at River Park, Anderson, California.
I toyed with other headlines for this blog: One swallow does not a meal make…he ate the whole thing…head’s down…big gulp…deep throat…alimentary, my dear Watson…no dessert, thank you.
Towheeblog 
Where is the last picture that shows the pied-bill keeled over dead on the shore? Such a mouthful for a little guy. His eyes were definitely bigger than his stomach!
m a
By: marieannette@q.com on October 19, 2014
at 3:30 pm
deep throat
By: Photograham on October 19, 2014
at 7:44 pm
Excellent series here! I have never witnessed such an event before. That looks like a big fish formidable fish staring down its captors throat here! So in the end the bird was really able to win the struggle and gulp down the whole thing entirely okay?? If eaten, does the unlucky/desperate fish get swallowed wriggling all the way as well?!
By: Kyle on October 7, 2015
at 9:50 am
At some point the fish must suffocate out of water. It;s grisly to contemplate. Nature is never delicate or worried about niceties.
By: atowhee on October 8, 2015
at 1:36 pm