Sunday, 27 December 2015

The Birds of the Blue Lake - Great Crested Grebe

"The Birds of the Blue Lake" sounds like a title of a terribly exotic Attenborough wildlife extravaganza, a glowing technicolour feast of filtering flamingoes and birds of paradise swooping through the surrounding canopy.

Is is actually what the locals seem to call what I've been referring to as "Balderton Lake", the largest body of freshwater in the urban area of Newark, a lake used mainly for fishing, and also as an impromptu swimming pool by Eastern European folk which doesn't really bother me, but hacks off the anglers like mad.

Luckily for my photography yesterday, there were no swimmers to disturb the birds, and perhaps because it was a quiet day around the water, the great crested grebes came in much closer and I was able to get better shots of them.

Their seems to be three distinct generations on the water; full adults, juveniles, and younger chicks still sporting their black and white stripes. However old they are, they move very quickly across the water and are tricky for a slower camera to focus on.

But, I partially got there!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 27.12.15






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8 comments:

  1. John "By Stargoose And Hanglands"27 December 2015 at 23:03

    I still remember the day, many years ago, when I clapped eyes upon my first ever Great Crested Grebe. What exotic-looking birds they are when you take the time to look at them properly!

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  2. Pam28 December 2015 at 01:35

    A splendid 'eye catcher' of a title Si! Love the pics!

    I was watching a pair of Great Crested Grebes displaying a couple of weeks ago, though she turned her back on the weed offered! Maybe she was hungry for a fish!

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  3. Anonymous28 December 2015 at 02:13

    Great Crested Grebes are such stunning birds. We get Little Grebes here, they make a marvellous noise in Spring time.

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  4. SeagullSuzie28 December 2015 at 03:11

    Well done on getting them Si.

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  5. Ragged Robin28 December 2015 at 03:14

    Well done on getting the photos Simon - such lovely birds and it won't be that long before they're starting their breeding displays :)

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  6. Lucy @ A Natural Interlude28 December 2015 at 03:21

    I bet you weren't wearing your daygo/fluorescent cagoule when these beauties came nearer, Si! Really love the colours in the first photo - water and bird in perfect harmony. Here's to more close encounters.

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  7. The Weaver of Grass28 December 2015 at 06:27

    Nice pictures of a super bird Si. Keep up the image of the 'blue lake'.

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  8. Simon Douglas Thompson29 December 2015 at 04:55

    THank you all, we've had an internet outage for a day or two! Not used to seeing them close into the lakeside!

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