Mikepércs: Something Is Missing

Early in the morning there is some haze above the water. The usual pochards and garganeys are coming slowly but a little grebe is showing itself as well.

A female pochard comes close munching a bit on the leaves of a water plant:

Pochard (female)

A little grebe pops up from among the water plants and finds something to pick from the leaves:

Little grebe

A pochard is approaching, ...:

Pochard (male)

... then a coot is shaking itself:

Coot

Pochard (male)

A garganey is flapping its wings after some preening:

Garganey (male)

Garganey (male)

Garganey (male)

 Unfortunately the red-necked grebes are missing from the pond, I'm afraid they might have gone away. We'll see ...

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: 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