Boxing Day Little Grebes

With the weather dismal over Christmas, any opportunity where there was a break in the clouds on Boxing Day morning, I was out of the house, covered from head to toe in waterproof clothing and perched on the River Bank camera in hand.

After a brief glimpse of the Kingfisher fleeing downstream, I waited for the arrival of the Little Grebe, there is quite a healthy population at the moment with a pair seemingly every 200-300 yards along the river. They are a species that I can never seem to get to see close up. Walking the banks if you spot one 100 yards away they always seem to have spotted you first and are down under the water and away to skulk unseen at the waters edge.

However I was in position for them this time, concealed against the footbridge and a nearby Willow, it wasn't long before a pair had drifted down within camera range. Movements were reduced to a very slow minimum in an attempt not to spook them, and it worked this time. My closest photos to date, just a shame about the poor lighting conditions.

As a few spots of rain started to fall, I thought I better head back through the flooded water meadow at risk of getting drenched. I flushed a single Snipe, my first on the new patch but hopefully a good indication of more to come. And luckily I got back just in time, before the rain fell again.

Little Grebe

Little Grebe

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