Mikepércs: Little Grebes Only Again

I'm making a try at the pond again. Young little grebes and coots are here and there, nothing else. Respectively a young moorhen crosses the pond. The coots are feeding in the distance, near the bank, the little grebes however often come and go nearby too, and the tadpoles are still their favourite food:

Young Little Grebe

Young Little Grebe

Mikepércs: Slackness

In August I didn't visit the pond for four weeks. I made a try a week ago but with no success. The number of the coots has dwindled, There were few ducks, the little grebes disappeared just like the terns.

So I set off today with little hopes.

I can see this time a few mallards and the young little grebes start to appear one after the other. Two shovelers come into sight but they don't come close enough. And after some time they fly away.

The little grebes however often move hereabout:

Young Little Grebe

Mikepércs: A Modest Day

I count on the young whiskered terns today. It seems that the little grebes use the trunk just occasionally.
Not a single grebe comes within "shooting distance" for a long time but they are active beyond it.
Finally a young tern lands and starts preening, ...:

Young Whiskered Tern

Young Whiskered Tern

... and searches for something edible. It finds many things ...:

Young Whiskered Tern

Young Whiskered Tern

... but none of them is suitable.
However it's not starving, the parents look after it. But this time I'm unable to catch the moment of feeding.
So, this remains a modest day.

Mikepércs: Young Tern

The young terns don't really eat independently yet, the parents feed them regularly. This bird is crying already early in the morning, ...:

Young Whiskered Tern

... which has its result soon as one of the parents brings a large tadpole.

I'm always wandering how much these young birds can eat. A big tadpole is not enough by far, they expect the next bite right away. However this takes a while, so they have time to deal with the feathers as well:

Young Whiskered Tern

Young Whiskered Tern

Young Whiskered Tern

The tern tries to find something itself but with not much success, so it's expecting the manna from above:

Young Whiskered Tern

Getting another big tadpole, ...:

Young Whiskered Tern

... which is getting stuck in its throat, ...:

Young Whiskered Tern

... and splashes back into the water:

Young Whiskered Tern

The young bird doesn't want to regain it, it's having a rest instead:

Young Whiskered Tern

Young Whiskered Tern

Soon the next bite is coming:

Whiskered Tern

This one is swallowed easily.

Young Whiskered Tern

Finally some preening comes:

Young Whiskered Tern

Mikepércs: Youngs On The Stage

I planned photography for today, however at dawn when I should have got up a shower came, so I started only after the rain.
I notice something special short after getting into the hide: a great cormorant! I didn't see it landing but it's over there now. Unfortunately far from me. It's looking round, it dives a few times but not finding anything satisfactory it takes off followed by another one.
Soon a young whiskered tern lands, then another one arrives too:

Young Whiskered Terns

They are crying for food and preening.
Meanwhile a young little grebe swims accross the water in front of me:

Young Little Grebe

Young Little Grebe

Now and then the young terns catch sight of something in the water  trying to pick it up:

Young Whiskered Terns

Young Whiskered Terns

Young Whiskered Tern

One of them flies away to return after a short time:

Young Whiskered Terns

Preening:

Young Whiskered Tern

Young Whiskered Tern

They're crying for breakfast again:

Young Whiskered Terns

Young Whiskered Terns

As the food is behind time they are tasting everything moveable:

Young Whiskered Tern

At last the little grebes turn up, one of the adults climbs up the trunk to preen:

Little Grebe

A largish grebe climbs up as well but it doesn't stay, it's jumping into the water soon:

Little Grebe

Their mum keeps on preening while the little youngs are waiting patiently:

Little Grebe

Little Grebe

Little Grebe

Little Grebe

Little Grebe

The largish one climbs up again to have a rest:

Little Grebe

Little Grebe

Having finished with preening the adult grebe returns into the water, the youngs however enjoy the comfortable dry place. It's just like a little penguin:

Young Little Grebe

Young Little Grebe

Young Little Grebe

Young Little Grebes

Feeding continues ...:

Little Grebe

... then comes another short rest on the dry:

Young Little Grebe

Young Little Grebe

Mikepércs: Little Grebe Family

I could expect the little grebes again, but I wouldn't have thought that there are so many of them.
I can see some haze above the water when the first birds appear, ...:

Young Coot

... which disappears quickly when the sun starts to shine.
Young little grebe arrives:

Young Little Grebe

Then a more mature one finds a little prey nearby:

Young Little Grebe

I'm happy to see a new generation of little grebes as well, an adult is approaching with its fluffy youngs. Suddenly the adult climbs the trunk placed nearby but soon I can see it in the water again:

Little Grebe

The little ones ask for food continously, and the parents are working hard to sooth their hunger:

Little Grebe

The adult bird climbs on the trunk again to preen itself, meanwhile the little ones are waiting patiently:

Little Grebe

Little Grebe

However it has not much time as the youngs are hungry, they have to be fed:

Little Grebe

This is the smallest one:

Young Little Grebe

Young Little Grebe

Little Grebe

Seeing how often comes up the grebe mum with a large tadpole from under the water, a young coot tries to scrounge, ...:

Young Coot

Little Grebe

... after some time the grebe mum becomes fed up with this and attacks the larger coot which runs away shouting upset at the grebe.
The little grebe comes up with a tadpole in every minute, it seems that there are lots of them in the pond. After some time the youngs don't even accept the food. Seeing that its offer is no use, ithe adult swallows it itself.

Little Grebe

Little Grebe

One couldn't believe that these small youngs can swallow such a big prey:

Young Little Grebe

Little Grebe

Young Little Grebe

The adults haven't got small feet but these youngs have huge oars compared the their size:

Young Little Grebe

Suddenly one of the parent birds begins to lay seaweed on the trunk, for what purpose, I have no idea:

Little Grebe