My blog is mostly about wildlife, particularly birds, walking, days out, all growing things and anything else that comes to mind.
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Wednesday 16 February 2011

Great Crested Grebes - they're starting to dance...

I've been rather busy lately and this will be a brief post.... :( But the sun shone today and there was a wonderful blue sky for a little while :D

I'd been given the heads up that the Great Crested Grebes in Painshill Park were nest building and dancing... I headed off!

I found the nest but no signs of the Grebes. Did hear a Woodie drumming though... first hearing of this Spring. Then the mewing high up overhead - two buzzards... nice!



I walked around the bottom of the lake - nest building is well on the way for this coot.

A flash of turquoise as a Kingfisher shot around the corner and back again!

And then, down the other end of the lake, the courting couple. They were having a rather half-hearted head-waggling session when I spotted them and immediately stopped as I got the camera up.

They then swam around and preened but no more dancing...




The swam off up to the other end of the lake again and disappeared from sight.

Snowdrops are everywhere...

and one or two daffodils are coming into flower.

I called in briefly to Bushy Park but only the usual culprits about..
But Red Crested Pochards are always good subjects.


A brief time out but relaxing!

6 comments:

The Quacks of Life said...

all good but the last grebe is excellent

Anonymous said...

Nice one with Coot on nest, great shot's of Grebes.
My favourite has to be the Snowdrops with water-droplets, a true classic and well taken.
Nice one Tricia!

paul.

Glo said...

How exciting that you witnessed the beginning of the courtship dance ~ and wonderful to see nest building in progress. And the sunshine ~ best of all! Lovely to see the snowdrops and daffies heralding upcoming spring as well.

FAB said...

Lots of indicators that Spring is just around the corner.

oldcrow61 said...

Great pictures once again. I so envy you having snowdrops and daffs up and blooming while we're knee deep and I do mean knee deep in snow.

Tricia Ryder said...

Pete - thank you - I was so lucky with the light.

Paul...sometimes rain gives a picture that slight edge eh... :)

Glo...the courtship dance is amazing when they perform the entire "ballet" - hopefully the sun will shine again for another look!

Frank - isn't it great eh? All the leaves on the willows in Bushy are giving that green "glow" to the trees already.

OC - Sorry about the knee deep snow.......

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