This is a Pied-billed Grebe. I recently photographed it on the big lake in Wildewood just after the sun rose with that gorgeous morning glow.
"Pied-eyed Grebes are not often seen in flight. They migrate at night and instead of flying to escape predators, they diver or submerge their bodies so only their head is just above the surface of water. Although they swim like ducks, their feet are not webbed, rather each toe has lobes that extend out on the sides for paddling. "Grebe" means "feet at the buttocks." These shy little divers are not social so they are usually seen singly or in pairs, not large flocks." - Traci @tlsepkovic, York County, PASome Native American people think of the Grebe as a symbol of perseverance and fearlessness. There is a story about a brave grebe that withstood weather's fury
Grebes protect themselves by submerging like an alligator below the surface with just their eyes and nostrils above the surface.
If you want to have a sighting, look in the grasses and cattails along the pond edge. On the water, a grebe will be a lone swimmer.
Here is a 1:42 second story about the Pied-billed Grebe.
