Holy Diver - Dio (Ronnie James Dio)

Today we break with tradition and embark on something we have never done before,
(NO! we are not going to get the BEERS in!)
and that is to dedicate this Post to just a single Species of Bird

LITTLE GREBE

These tiny water-birds are 365 day residents here on our Recording Area,
save for those odd occasions when the watercourse freeze completely.

Even then with the first onset of a thaw they are back, always seeming to thrive,
and over the years we have witnessed most of the process of breeding
(displaying, copulation, nest building and even seemingly incubating)
which always appears to come to nought.

Nest Building
this years pair at the Irrigation Pond putting in best effort to construct a 'raft'.
However, it should be noted that these Grebes are Masters when it comes to
Low Profile
but even that pales when putting on a
Disappearing Act

A separate pair that successfully built a nest (unusually out in the open
and easy to view) at the Gravel Pit also

laid c2 eggs which looked to be destined to failure from the start as

partly submerged by water and over-strewn with wet vegetation, but this is the way of the
LITTLE GREBE

 Daily and sometimes prolonged observations were kept on both pairs
with those at the IP doing little more than dragging nesting material from
one side of the pond to the other, while the other seemed consigned to incubation.

However, the latter seemed short lived and the nest appeared to have been
predated or just abandoned but whatever the eggs were gone?
That was until this weekend, when conducting our daily rounds on a warm, balmy morning
when it was so tranquil and quiet (save for a Dawn Chorus) that we caught 40 winks in the comfort of the
Strange Rover.

Waking after that refreshing 10 minute Power Nap we glanced out of the starboard window
to note what is considered to be the adult female with a tiny

HUMBUG,
(the colloquial term used for all 'striped' Grebe chicks)
 on her back.
The feeling of elation was indescribable as this was a 'personal first'
never before having seen a newly hatched Little Grebe in the flesh!

Not exactly self sufficient as both parent birds were, at one time or another,

providing food

 which looked to be either Minnows or Larvae of aquatic Insects.

Other than that it seemed quite content to be free swimming

but never too far from mum,

Gaping and Leg Stretching while at times surface feeding.

It was also apparent that the nest had NOT been abandoned,
with the female sprucing it up from time to time

and once housekeeping duties were complete the youngster
would pop aboard for an inspection.
What was not seen, but hoped for more than any other function,
was the parent bird 'diving' with the chick on her back something we still
don't know if this does happen at all but the chick was happy to dive freelance.

 Just a few other clips to show more of the repertoire.

A MOST MEMORABLE MORNING
but
STILL NO BEER

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