Day 27 – Great Crested Grebe

Another ‘great’ bird. I think this last week will be mostly about the birds; they’re my specialist area and gives a nice run up to until Friday, my last post of the month. This one is from my local patch again. There wasn’t too many birds around today, nothing unusual or great in number; probably due to contractors felling a tree causing temporary disturbance. A tad frustrating but it gives me an excuse to go out later in the week.

What: Great Crested Grebe – Podiceps cristatus (Linnaeus, 1758)

When: 27th January 2020

Where: Poynton Pool, Cheshire, UK

Who saw it? Me

How did I record it? On eBird (using the app)

Is it bigger than a blackbird? Yes, though hard to judge as grebes spend most of their lives on the water so half their body is underwater.

What is it? A medium-sized duck-like bird that lives in many lakes in the UK. It doesn’t really migrate in this country, but may move around to other water-bodies in the winter away from their breeding areas. They have an endearing habit in the spring and summer of giving their young ‘piggy-backs’ so you will often see an adult bird with a stripey little passenger swimming around. At this time of year they will start their courtship with seemingly carefully choreographed routines which often involve the exchange of a ‘gift’ of pond weed. They almost became extinct in the UK during the 19th Century due to the fashion for having bird feathers in ladies hats with grebe feathers being particularly popular. The last stronghold was my home county of Cheshire, where half the tiny population survived. They have since recovered and are now a common site on lakes. The unofficial county bird of Cheshire is the Great Crested Grebe.

A fact I have learned about this species: Their closest living relatives (grebes in general) are flamingos (Ref: Chubb 2004, link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1055790303001593?via%3Dihub)

Are they charismatic in my opinion? Yes. And enigmatic. Unlike most waterfowl you never see them on land, ever. But they are highly visible but seemingly just out of reach. Just watch their courtship dances and their care for their young. Brilliant.