Little Grebes

The Little Grebes (Dabchicks) had been seen on the lake but I had not spotted them until sitting quietly in the hide I noticed one swimming down the lake, making a noticeable wave.

Watching these birds always gives great pleasure.  Photographing them is fun!  Focus, click and no Dabchick, only a ring where it has been.

Then scanning the surface to see where it appears, often a long way from where it dived.  When alarmed the Little Grebe submerges, with only its head showing.  This has not been reported by anyone 'grebe watching'.  Something to look for this year.

There are two Dabchicks on the lake, at the minute, and we hope that they will breed again this year.  Their nest is a pile of water plants built up from the surface of the water or supported by a branch, usually in shallow water.  The young hatch in about a month and are fed by both parents on a diet of small fish and other water fauna.