Bird of the Month: the grebes

A visit to nearby Farmoor Reservoir will always produce views of one most beautiful bird families on
earth, the grebes. These birds are perfectly adapted for aquatic life. Their hugely webbed feet help
them to dive underwater and catch fish, yet make them ungainly on land. The scientific name for the
grebe family is podicpes, from the Latin podicis for "vent" and pes for "foot", and is a reference to the
placement of the grebe's legs towards the very rear of their body, ideal for powerful swimming.

In spring all members of this family develop stunning breeding plumages, often with crests and ornate
head plumes. These are shown off to full effect in courtship dances where birds raise themselves up to
stand on the water, before they present waterweed to each other as courtship gifts. Such is the beauty
of this family of birds that our commonest grebe, the Great Crested Grebe, was nearly hunted to
extinction in Victorian times due to the demand for its feathers for the hat trade.

Above, Great Crested Grebe at Farmoor Reservoir, April 2018.

Alongside the common Great Crested Grebes are the much smaller Little Grebes. These birds do not
have intricate head plumages, but in summer show a chestnut neck and a bright yellow patch at the
base of their bill

Above, Little Grebe.

 Bird of the Month: the grebes
All grebes build nests which float on the water, usually hidden in reed beds or in waterside vegetation.
The young of the grebe family have stripes and are frequently carried on their parent’s backs when they
are very small. They quickly learn the ability to dive for food.

Above, juvenile Little Grebe.

There are three other members of the grebe family that are occasionally seen in the county as rare
visitors. Red-necked Grebes are sometimes found on lakes or reservoirs in winter, but rarely in summer
when they are at their most vivid. Slavonian Grebes, which breed in small numbers on Scottish lochs,
are a real treat to see in summer on the rare occasions that they visit Farmoor. Their glowing red eyes
and golden head tufts, set off against a jet-black head, make them one of the most beautiful and
distinctive of all water birds.

Above, Slavonian Grebe at Farmoor Reservoir, June 2018.

 Bird of the Month: the grebes
April is the best month of the year to try to see the final rare grebe that visits Oxfordshire, the Black-
necked Grebe. Black-necked Grebes spend the winter around the southern coasts of the UK, but move
inland as they migrate to their breeding lakes in northern England. As such, they are most likely to be
seen in spring and autumn as they pass through Oxfordshire, see figure 1, below.

In winter Black-necked Grebes, which are between Great Crested and Little Grebes in size, appear
mainly black and grey, though like Slavonian Grebe, they too have bright red eyes.

Above, Black-necked Grebes at Dix Pit, Oxfordshire, in winter plumage in March 2018.
 Bird of the Month: the grebes
By mid-April most Black-necked Grebes have acquired their spectacular breeding plumage. They grow
golden ear tufts which fan backwards from the red eye, whilst the whole head, neck and back are black,
contrasting with the chestnut flanks.

Above, Black-necked Grebe at Grimsbury Reservoir, Banbury in April 2018.

Although the three rarer Grebe species are far from guaranteed to be seen, Great Crested and Little
Grebes are common at most waterbodies in the county. April is the perfect month to witness the
courtship dances and beautiful breeding plumages of the grebe family. And if you are fortunate enough
 Bird of the Month: the grebes
to see one of the three rarer grebe species, you will have been rewarded with views of some of Britain’s
most beautiful birds.

Words and pictures by Tom Bedford.