They come here from nesting grounds in Canada. They will stay at Mono Lake until the food supply disappears, as brine shrimp die off in the cold weather of November or December. Then the grebes head for Central America to overwinter. At least, we know they end up down there. No one ever witnesses their nighttime arrivals and departures.
Grebes seem mysterious in other ways.
Their looks are rather strange. They spend a good part of their life under water. Eared grebes have lobed toes to help them swim. Not webbed, like ducks, but more as if you had a flap of tissue sticking out from either side of your fingers. But the real strange aspect of their body design is the location of their legs.