Grebe Time !

Lancashire - 9.03.21

Well looks like I have a work in progress project !

Over the last few weeks I've been searching for a suitable location where I could photograph Great Crested Grebes at the early stage of the breeding season, after a lot of searching with either been single bird, lakes too large, unsuitable lake edge lacking colour or just to elevated to get a low shot, but it's looking like I may have found somewhere ! still not ideal but it's something work on over the next few weeks.

Here's a few images taken on a recent rece visit on what was a very cloudy day, but hey I'm not complaining I just now need to put in some time and see what develops.

Stay safe

Great Crested Grebe

It Looks A Good Day

Elton Reservoir, Bury - 27.11.20

With light cloud and little or no wind I decided it might be worth spending a couple of hour at Elton Res this morning especially now that the Scaup has relocated to area called the "Creek"...why ? well you can get your nose down at water level, not that you'd want to with all the green algae on the waters surface.

It's a short walk past the resident campers on the mound which can't be pleasant at this time of year down to the creek, straight away I pick up the Scaup diving in the entrance to the creek with some Tufted Duck, but the light is wrong on his side so I need make may way across what is now become one of the best swamps in Bury.

On the opposite bank I'm sitting and waiting for the Scaup to move a little closer before I set the gear, first the Tufted Ducks return then the Scaup follows, time to get cracking. Laying on the ground sheet the ground's cold and to make matters worse it's leaking water and my trouser are completely saturated, but I'm happy as the shots look ok, as you can see below.

Greater Scaup

Great Crested Grebe

It Only Lasted an Hour !

Sale Water Park, Manchester - 22.11.20

It's Saturday night and the bird information alert service "pings" stating a Great Northern Diver has been found late afternoon at Sale Water Park in south Manchester, being late afternoon hopefully with no disturbance there's a very good chance it will hang around tomorrow as long as I get there early before all the walkers and joggers start flooding in the park.

Sale Water Park being located right next to the motorway is an easy thirty minuet drive so I've planned to arrive just as the light is good enough for some reasonable camera settings. Sundays mornings traffic free I've arrived on time and the lights is looking good, what not so good is I've just overshot the exit junction...doh !

Parking up there are already a few birders stood on the jetty scanning all in the same direction so I assume all looking at the diver. Having now located the diver I grab the camera gear and head off in the direction of the diver hoping it comes a little closer than the last diver outing at West Kirby Marine lake. After a short walk I needn't have worried as the diver is close in to the bank...panic ! After a few shots the diver moves back in the direction I've just come from. Now back at the jetty and the diver is again close in to the bank, more shots, at times the diver is so close I can't get it all in the frame....close or what !

The diver true to form dives appearing twenty meters always keeping me on the move. Now on the far side of the lake the diver is distant and light direction poor not really giving any further photo opportunities as within ten minuets the diver takes to the air heading off in the direction of Tatton Park to the south.

From my arrival at around 8.10am to when the diver flew off at 9.0am about fifty minuets is a very short session, in fact so short I doubt very few images were taken of the diver. For the few late comers its a missed opportunity seeing a Great Northern Diver rarely see in Manchester at such a close distance and could so easily have been me, so happy I made the effort of an early start.

Great Northern Diver

Pleased that the images below was given a "Notable" images on BirdGuides weekly photo competition, keep em coming. Link......https://www.birdguides.com/articles/photo-of-the-week-18-24-november-2020/

Great Crested Grebe

Little Grebe

Five Star Accommodation at Vistabella

Its a return to Vistabella Road hides today but this time I'm heading the the second hide which is further down the channel track that boarders the southern lagoon. As you arrive and head through the reeds to the hide you have to walk on a raised wooden walkway which is three planks wide, a bit scary if you are carrying very expensive camera gear, it get worse, as you approach the hide it veers up about one metre above the water. Once inside its evident this hide is a far better being both closer and lower to the water offerring extensive views either side and to the front.

I count about thirty or so Black Necked Grebe's all resplendent in their summer plumage, incessantly calling... "pu-ii", unusual if you've not head it before. Greater Flamingo, Glossy Ibis are abundant, Little Bitterns are flying bullet like to and fro to a reed island in front of the hide, presumably feeding young. Male White Headed Ducks are jostling each other with this years young around the reed fringes and Purple Herons glide over the water like Vulcan Bombers

Its now around 11.0 am and the sun is making light conditions a little harsh casting unwanted shadows on the subjects, for this reason if photography is what your here for an early visit is recommended, and I would defiantly recommend the second hide.

Returning to the car I pass quite close to the first hide so I have a quick look, much the same as pervious visit so time to move on to my next location, the Old Monastery on the Elche Road.

As I arrive I note a resident Kestrel hunting, they always look a lot paler than the UK variant. I park up behind the building where I had previously seen a Roller, but no luck today and continue down the gravel tracks recommended by a resident birder. The only birds of note are, a Bee-Eater, Lesser Grey Shrike and Woodchat Shrike.

Its now mid afternoon and call it a day and head back to the accommodation

Click image to view...

Image of the normally secretive Purple Swamphen swimming in open water, the bird had decided to swim from the mainland to a reed island across approximatly three hundred meters of water.