Better late than never, hopefully.

Wednesday 16th July '14
I was watching from the Oddie Hide at Druridge looking over the large pool when a pair of Great Crested Grebes caught my eye mirroring. Some more displaying followed then some weed was presented.

This looks serious.

Thursday 17th July '14
A trip up to the Druridge Bay area had me heading to the Oddie Hide again and sure enough not long after i arrived the Great Crested Grebes were displaying again.

It wasn't long before the female headed towards the nest.
WAIT A MINUTE. That wasn't there yesterday. They had obviously constructed it overnight. If you look in the first image, no nest, and that was just about the same place as today.

The male looks raring to go but much posturing by the female but this went on for five minutes.

Eventually the eggs are fertilised.

And the couple finally look pleased with themselves.

 

Sunday 20th July '14

I went up to Low Newton for a walk around taking in the Long Nanny. Along with Cresswell Pond i called in at Druridge and was concerned to see the nest on which the female is now settled was very low in the water. My first thoughts were of was the heavy downpours that had been forecast almost anywhere. I wouldn't think the nest would take too much rain to be flooded out. Lets hope either the rain keeps away or the male starts building the nest higher. I think all that i've seen so far points to these Grebes being inexperienced and i don't think the male will add any more material. Whatever the case fingers crossed for this pair.

I did see one of the Wood Sandpipers early this morning at Stringer Scrapes at Low Newton and i lapped up the views of the Tern colony, both Little and Arctic, at the Long Nanny. I sat and had a late lunch there watching both species of Tern bathing in the Nanny with quite a few stunning looking Dunlin, many still in breeding plumage, and four Ringed Plover probing the edges of the burn just in front of me. I was told of the Curlew Sandpiper as i walked the path approaching the Druridge hides but did not see it. The Budge Field has some cracking areas of mud but there are numerous large tussocks of grass all around so lots of places for birds to disappear. The three Spoonbills seem to have deserted the Budge Field for Cresswell with four Little Egrets keeping them company. The three juvenile Avocets continue to mature nicely and a handsome Ruff is also at Cresswell but was very distant in the twenty five minutes i had on the way home.