The Posh Neighbours

There are some birds which have a special attraction to me to watch or photograph or both – the Kingfisher with its vivid colours and fishing skills, the Heron for its patience, the Kestrel with its hovering ability, the Puffin for its charm, the Short Eared Owl for those eyes and my favourite the Red Kite, gliding effortlessly overhead.  Well, now I can add another bird.  The Great Crested Grebe.  I had the pleasure of watching a pair recently, the first time I’ve really done so and they stood out from all the other various birds on the lake, majestic and handsome with a bit of elegance thrown in.  I spent the best of nearly four hours watching and photographing them.  The two of them were courting each other and barely left each others side except when diving for fish, of which I was surprised just how long under water they could spend and how far they could swim.  At one point, one of them went under and I though must have drowned as it was a good few minutes later when it eventually re-appeared some way away. While the various geese, ducks and Coots spent a lot of time squabbling amongst each other, these two ignored the rest and just spent there time feeding, preening and displaying to each other.  Definitely a class act.