Great Crested Grebe

Finding nature subjects to photograph can be a combination of research, local knowledge, shared information and a bit of good luck. This week, shared information and luck were on my side. I was told about a pair of great crested grebes within a short travelling distance and visited there on Easter Sunday, with a fellow Oldham PS member.

The lake is rather large and the grebes, just one pair, stayed most of the time at the centre of it, but we had been told that they occasionally came closer to shore to fish and so we waited patiently.

That afternoon, I was able to capture a few shots, when the grebes came in to search for food. Only once, however, did one of the grebes come up with a catch, a newt, it was too far away to get a good shot and was against the light. The next day I returned and was favoured with just one successful fishing attempt occurring close enough to the edge of the lake for us to photograph it. However, in the lovely light, I was very happy to take a few shots of the grebes swimming and the shots that included a fish were a bonus. In all I had dozens of sharp pictures, a few of which are posted below.