David Element
Wildlife
Photography and Digital Video Images
_________________________________________________________________________________________ Birds 43 -
Black-necked Grebes
BLACK-NECKED GREBE Podiceps nigricollis
BLACK-NECKED GREBE Podiceps nigricollis
BLACK-NECKED GREBE Podiceps nigricollis
BLACK-NECKED GREBE Podiceps nigricollis
BLACK-NECKED GREBE Podiceps nigricollis
BLACK-NECKED GREBE Podiceps nigricollis
BLACK-NECKED GREBE Podiceps nigricollis
BLACK-NECKED GREBE Podiceps nigricollis
BLACK-NECKED GREBE Podiceps nigricollis
BLACK-NECKED GREBE Podiceps nigricollis
- These
photographs of a very confiding summer plumaged, Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis were taken from
the jetty of a small harbour adjacent to a popular holiday beach on the
French Mediterranean coast. This bird was apparently unconcerned by the
presence of the photographer who was armed with nothing more powerful than
a 105mm macro lens that he had been using for insect photography. The
plumage appears to be rather dark when compared with reference images of
this species so it is possible that the feathers may have been
contaminated by a small amount of waste fuel from the water's surface as
some of the boats were petrol-powered. This
species is described in Lars Jonsson's 'Birds of Europe with North Africa and the Middle
East' as having dark summer plumage that "at a distance (is) often blackish with 'unkempt'
oily and straggly brush-like plumes of golden yellow on cheeks",
so perhaps this is what they are supposed to look like at close range as
well! There was certainly no evidence to suggest that this bird was
suffering any ill effects as it was diving and preening normally. The
water was clear and there were plenty of fish present. However, as might
be expected there was a great deal of human activity and there were hardly
any other birds to be found at all apart from the occasional gull. Peter
Follett has seen this species at very close range as well, so this
confiding behaviour may not be exceptional. Some of the images have been
cropped.
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