Wild Bird Wednesday 673 - Great Crested Grebe.

The Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus) is large grebe that is found all over Europe and east across the Palearctic.  It is also found in Southern Africa and Australia.   The birds in these three areas are assigned to different subspecies.  One of the more noticeable differences between these populations of birds is that the Australian birds - Podiceps cristatus australis - retain there breeding plumage through the year, where as birds from the other two areas lose their characteristic breeding plumage in the colder months of the year.

These birds - which are doing their famous breeding 'dance' - were at Ham Wall  RSPB reserve in Somerset, UK.  Although they gave great views through the scope, they were rather distant and as a result these images have been rather heavily cropped.  Nonetheless, the pictures do show some of the complex 'dance moves' involved in this ritual.  Unfortunately neither of the birds picked up any water plants in their beaks, which is often also part of the ritual.

This species was hunted almost to extinction in the United Kingdom in the 19th century for its head plumes, which were used to decorate ladies' hats and garments. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) was set up to help protect this species, which is again a reasonably common sight.  This is very good news!

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