Grebes regularly occur at water areas along the Missouri River, so surveys can readily indicate their occurrence. During the 2013 autumn, regular surveys at three places, along with intermittent visits to a fourth site provide the details to evaluate where the Pied-billed Grebe, Horned Grebe and Western Grebe were seen. The results are an indication of watery places these birds appreciate.
Results are summarized for these places:
- Desoto NWR: records from weekly counts of waterfowl, with some gaps in reporting due to the government shutdown during first two weeks of October
- Carter Lake, including Kiwanis Park: from regular, inclusive surveys by a local birder with intent
- Lake Manawa: as indicated by irregular visits by Nebraska and Iowa bird watchers
- Squaw Creek NWR: records gathered during weekly counts of waterfowl by refuge staff.
A couple of other records are not included since there were so few visits, notably at Offutt Base Lake. There are certainly other places worth mentioning which have no recognition in the chronicles.
These sites are where records are known, but there are undoubtedly more occurrences of these three species along the river valley within the region, including possibly at Lewis and Clark State Park and associated Blue Lake SWA, Forneys Lake at Boyer Chute NWR, Big Lake Park near Council Bluffs, the Great Marsh at Fontenelle Forest near Bellevue, and Forney Lake SWA, also in Iowa. Especially lacking is any information available for the numerous mitigation sites, with water habitats, created by the Corps of Engineers.
Pied-billed Grebe
This diminutive sort of grebe appreciates numerous floodplain spaces. Often seen, but maybe less indiccated among by birdly reports, the results do indicate its regular ocurrence during the autumn weeks of 2013, as presented in this summary table.
This is the most widespread grebe along the river. The only other site where noted during autumn, besides the places in the following list, was one occurrence at Offutt Base Lake.
| Date | Desoto District | Carter Lake District | Manawa District | Squaw Creek District |
| 09/02/2013 | - - | 22 | - - | - - |
| 09/13/2013 | - - | 26 | - - | - - |
| 09/21/2013 | - - | 200 | - - | - - |
| 09/22/2013 | - - | 156 | - - | - - |
| 09/24/2013 | - - | - - | - - | 31 |
| 09/26/2013 | 7 | - - | - - | - - |
| 09/29/2013 | - - | 73 |
- - | - - |
| 10/07/2013 | - - | 63 |
- - | - - |
| 10/13/2013 | - - | 150 | - - | - - |
| 10/14/2013 | - - | - - | 80 | - - |
| 10/18/2013 | 6 | - - | - - | - - |
| 10/20/2013 | - - | 73 | - - | - - |
| 10/21/2013 | - - | - - | - - | 59 |
| 10/24/2013 | - - | - - | 13 | - - |
| 10/25/2013 | - - | - - | - - | 0 |
| 10/27/2013 | - - | 85 | - - | - - |
| 10/28/2013 | - - | - - | - - | 42 |
| 10/29/2013 | 1 | - - | - - | - - |
| 11/02/2013 | - - | - - | 0 | - - |
| 11/04/2013 | - - | - - | - - | 34 |
| 11/07/2013 | - - | 57 | - - | - - |
| 11/10/2013 | - - | 65 | - - | - - |
| 11/13/2013 | - - | - - | - - | 17 |
| 11/14/2013 | - - | 33 | - - | - - |
| 11/18/2013 | - - | 32 | - - | - - |
| 11/19/2013 | - - | - - | - - | 28 |
| 11/25/2013 | - - | - - | - - | 3 |
The waters of Carter Lake have obviously been the best place to observe these little grebes, floating and diving among the waters and below the surface. Despite the "lake grooming" done by two vegetation harvesters during the 2013 growing season, as well as an increasing occurrence of deleterious common carp, the lake does still continue to be attractive to this species.
Horned Grebe
This species was reported only at Carter Lake and Lake Manawa, during the several weeks' extent of time being considered.
| Date | Carter Lake District | Manawa District |
| 10/06/2013 | - - | 2 |
| 10/14/2013 | - - | 2 |
| 10/17/2013 | - - | 5 |
10/20/2013 |
- - | 23 |
10/24/2013 |
- - | 10 |
10/30/2013 |
- - | 6 |
11/02/2013 |
- - | 0 |
11/10/2013 |
1 |
- - |
11/14/2013 |
1 |
- - |
The Horned Grebe has been seen at many other locales along the river floodplain including Offutt Base Lake, and even ephemeral habitat at the LaPlatte Bottoms, to indicate a couple of examples.
Western Grebe
| Date | Carter Lake District | Manawa District |
| 10/20/2013 | - - | 1 |
| 11/10/2013 | 1 | - - |
| 11/14/2013 | 1 | - - |
Since A.D. 2000, this fish-eating species has only been reported from the Missouri river floodplain at these two sites, as well as Forney Lake SWA (when noted in May 2001).
Grebe habitat is an essential part of the Missouri River valley. These results convey the importance of a few places associated with the river, whilst there may be other places which are among the places which these species appreciate, yet unknown. No one knows what birds occur at these places because no one goes to these places.