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Besides a Mallard (Wild Duck) and an Eurasian Coot it is the most common water bird, at least in the Greater Poland. It is extremely beautiful and because of its timidity, very hard to photograph. It can often be seen at the very center of the lake, where he feels safe, away from the shore. He dives exquisitiely in a search for fishes. Young Grebes swallow larger fishes as a whole and it looks like it will end up with choking. Grebes weigh 1.5 kilograms and their wingspan does not exceed 1 meter.
Last minute news 09/2013
Here you can experience a significant improvement in the quality of the presented photos. Everything thanks to proper place and camouflage. Speaking of camouflage, there’s still something to do. To be more specific, a few little hides should be put up to be used for photography next spring. The reduced distance and the proper morning light are what determines the opportunity to take interesting pictures, at least those which stuck in my memory. While I was hiding, about one or two hours after the sunrise, I managed to take the best photos, at least of Grebes and Swans. Waiting for the right moment you could observe the unusual appetite of these birds. A Great Crested Grebe after it caught a small carp, strived to swallow it for a few minutes. From the moment the fish is stuck in the bird’s throat up till its dorsal fin, there’s no way back. The Grebe, even if it wanted to, it couldn’t spit out the partially swallowed fish. So the Grebe must properly assess the possibilities of its own gullet, though I have the impression that the swallowed fish was as huge as it could be. The act of swallowing lasted several minutes and you could clearly see that it was a great effort for the Grebe. Young Grebes keep a watchful eye on their parents, not spoiling any occasion to take over the prey caught by them. They immediately move in its direction, counting on a meal.
Last minute news 08/2014
Quite unexpectedly, in the center of a lake, I managed to capture two grebes, whose behavior might signalize they were having their mating season. I added a few photos.
Last minute news - 05/2017
Somehow there has not been the time or luck to radically improve the photos in the great crested grebe gallery. Nonetheless, some better, more interesting shots were produced when photographing the entourage. The gallery has been rebuilt.
Last minute news-06/2022
These are not yet changes to give this gallery a very good status. I wrote about this in the June 2022 information in the Tufted Duck gallery. It was the desire to take good pictures of Great Crested Grebes, especially their mating behaviour, that led to attempts to photograph from a floating-hide, from the water. A few photos have been taken, adding variety to the gallery of Great Crested Grebes, but this is not yet what I hope will appear in this gallery and then the gallery will not only receive the status of very good but will also go into the favourites gallery. I hope and time will tell what will come to fruition from these plans....
Last minute news-04/2023
There is, at last, progress in the Great Crested Grebe gallery. I spent two mornings in the water have resulted in a radical change in the content of the gallery. For years I have been watching these birds at every opportunity and preparing for my next encounter with them. Their mating behaviour in spring is a beautiful natural spectacle. One would like to have what one has observed in photographs. Unfortunately, these frames are so far in my memory, in my head, and not on the memory cards of my camera. But one knows what to aim for and one must try. There is not much left of the previous gallery content, which has been rebuilt and goes into the news.
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