Mikepércs: The Skulking Grebes Have Turned Up!

It was some rain yesterday, and it should be sunshine this morning. I expect some haze above the water as there is no wind. I get to the pond early, it's still dark.

With the first lights a female mallard appears, taking its way towards the log I placed there last time. It steps up on it and starts to preen:

Mallard (female)

Then ferruginous ducks are coming, one of the males bundles off the mallard, he needs this nice place too:

Ferruginous Duck (male)

Pochards turn up as well:

Pochard (male)

Pochard (male)

Pochard (male)

Suddenly I can hear the known cries of the red-necked grebes! Wow! They are here! I catch sight of one of them in the backlight:

Red-necked Grebe

Red-necked Grebe

Red-necked Grebe

Red-necked Grebe

The haze has disappeared quite quickly, a pochard settles on the log again, ...:

Pochard (male)

... but not for a long time as whiskered terns are coming bundling him off:

Whiskered Tern

Several minutes later they fly away so the preening place is the ducks' again:

Ferruginous Duck (male)

Ferruginous Duck (male)

Pochard (male)

A gadwall turns up too getting to the log ...:

Gadwall (female)

... not allowing to get anyone else nearby:

Gadwall (female)

Later it's getting tired of it and gets away, ...:

Gadwall (female)

... handing over the place to the pochards which are falling out with each other:

Pochard (male)

Pochard (male)

Pochard (male)

A strange looking duck turns up, it looks like a mix of a ferruginous duck and a pochard:

The red-necked grebe appears again but it doesn't gorge the frogs as it did several weeks before:

Red-necked Grebe

In the end a whiskered tern lands to preen:

Whiskered Tern