Black-necked Grebe....Big Waters

Tuesday the 18th decided to check out the Black-necked Grebe still present at Big Waters another fine sunny day bit cool unless your in a sheltered spot which is the first thing I checked out looking for any dragonflies , only Speckled wood at the western dipping pool and an obliging Southern Hawker , got in the hide  plenty of Duck on the water including 2 Great Crested  and numerous BHeaded  and some Lesser Black Backs , I located the BN Grebe but it was way off  even for the scope , then I was distracted by a Kingfisher which came into the western scrape bit  to far away so I digiscoped it , ALWAYS  fantastic to see there are numerous perches for it to use luckily it sat around for several minutes , I videoed it till it flew off so stopped the vid only to have it pop back on so I missed the flight and dive , eventually off it went so back to checking the pond . The BNG by now was over near the Island so as the hide there was now empty I legged it around it did come fairly close but never managed any decent shots a GCG swan past it the size difference was  ridiculous got them both in only to find the BNG had put it's head down  and spoilt the shot .  So back around to the main hide carefully checking for the hoped for dragonfly taking a rest in the sun but nothing , a Migrant Hawker in front of the hide  would not settle so I tried some flight shots good job it's digital  , checking the pond again was deciding to go somewhere else , a guy said there is supposed to be a BNG here but I can't see it , I located it way over the pond by it's action of swimming with it's head under water before diving , this guy was expecting something on the lines of GCG size  so through his bins it would just look like a lump in the water . If he had seen it close up which it eventually did come , I'm sure he would have been impressed ,who wouldn't as it swam off again I headed home with the intention of  an evening at Holywell Pond  to record Bats ................... I got a few other surprises too !!!

Not the best flight shot but not bad for a Digiscoped shot

You have to take off the red eye reduction in your camera to get the eye colour :)

Southern Hawker taking in the Sun

Very confiding individual but the wind blowing it around

Tried some flight shots of this Migrant Hawker

Always seemed to be facing away but at least holding station

Speckled Wood just a couple around the reserve

Holywell Pond 8-8-2011

A couple of hours at Holywell yesterday  two black-necked Grebes at the west end , numerous Little Grebes  still feeding various ages of young , a Sparrowhawk took something  from the feeding station and landed across the pond it was so silent ,no waders to get to grips with , but a Juvenile Mediterranean Gull following the plough with the hundreds of other assorted Gulls  & Corvids. 

The two individuals spent most of the time asleep with the occasional dive and preen 

Could have got the exposures  better,but  using a different digidscope setup and its like starting from scratch.

For some reason one individual would feed near an upending Mallard perhaps it disturbed fish as it fed , but the Grebe made a definite and swift effort to swim over and dive nearby . Not surprising they can move so fast when you see the size of those feet

I thought "Podiceps " would have something to do with the shape of the foot but apparently its the placing of the legs at the rear of the body !! 

Little Grebe almost giving me the eye as it feeds young near the hide.