Alberta Canada- prairie ponds (1 Viewer)

[KhostAdenplusmore]

Hello,
I have been looking at birds currently (beginning of September) I have seen on a couple of prairie ponds south of Edmonton. These two birds are presenting me with some questions. I have called the first bird (first two photos) a Pied-billed Grebe, however the very pale chest doesn't match well with the illustration I am looking at in The Sibley Guide to Birds that I am using as my primary reference, and the second bird I have thought is (perhaps) a Spotted Sandpiper. But I am not certain of either of these calls, and I wonder what other people think.
Thanks,
z.

 

[qwerty5]

The first bird is a Horned or Eared Grebe, I'm not experienced enough to differentiate between the two. Second is Spotted Sandpiper.

 

[Valéry Schollaert]

The grebe looks like Slavonian / Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus) because of the flat crown and straight lower mandible of the bill (slightly upturned in Black-necked / Eared Grebe). I hope these features are still valid for juvenile birds as this individual.

 

[KhostAdenplusmore]

Thanks you qwerty5 and Valéry Schollaert for your responses and help with these ID's.