Psilos Bird Photography

A grebe family

Portrait of the chicks
 
After watching two pairs fight over one nest way back in February one pair have now made it and produced three chicks. It is mid May, the chicks are now five days old and the demand for food is getting greater. For the first three days the chicks stay safetly nestled on the females back but as they get older they start to spend more time in the water.
 
 
Having seen the size of the chicks it is difficult to imagine how they all fit on her back and indeed how the female manages to stay afloat!
 
 
I think that grebe chicks have the most stricking markings of all our water birds. Their black and white stripes help to camaflague them when they are in the water. This back view of the chicks shows their markings off very well.
 

 
The female is very vigilent and very caring towards her offspring. The male is gone fishing for long periods of time and there is nothing to do but sit, wait and sleep.
 
 
Sometimes they are left waiting so long that the female feeds the chicks little bits of weed that she picks up off the water surface.
 
 
From a distance the male can be seen returning with a fish. The chicks can see him too and start to call out.
 
 
Eventually the male returns with a very small fish just the right size for the small chick to swallow. It is a very orderly affair with no crying or pushing to try and get to the fish first.
 
 
The closest chick just reaches out takes the fish and gulps it down in one.
 
 
The parents behaviour varies upon feeding. Sometimes the male gives the fish and immediatly goes back out again. Every third or forth visit however the male turns to the female and they do a short bonding dance.
 
 
Afterwards the male returns to fishing and the female decides its time to preen her feathers. So rather unceremoniously she dumps the chicks into the water and continues with her task. Preening over she then decides its time to go for a swim and she takes off over the other side of the lake with the indignant chicks following her and trying furiously to scramble back onto her back. Very soon these chicks will be far too big and will have to take to the water permenently but for now they take advantage of the protective ride.