India, Nov. 14 -- The Sukhna lake has been graced by a bird whose elegance and actions leave the observer enraptured. Two great crested grebes, a species whose history occupies pride of place in the origins of the modern conservation movement, have graced the lake by casting their silvery reflections in its placid waters.

It is an uncommon winter migrant. Just a few are fleetingly seen as grebes dive frequently and surface after what seems an eternity. Literally, the Houdini avians! Their webbed feet are placed far back in the body to facilitate diving and swimming. Grebes hunt fish and aquatic invertebrates.

In the late 19th century, these birds were nearly hunted to extinction in Britain because of their elegant head feathers. It was ...