Great Crested Grebe
MARCH brings the hope of some early migrants to signal the beginning of the end of winter, but there is also the increase in breeding-related activity from our resident birds to focus our cameras on.
One bird which can be very photogenic at this time of year is Great Crested Grebe, which often assumes its stunning breeding finery by March.
This species inhabits many reservoirs and lakes, but it can be worth checking smaller bodies of water too as these offer a couple of advantages for photographic purposes – namely the birds have less water to choose from and so may be more likely to come close, and the surface is likely to be less choppy and will provide better reflections. Early morning is often the best time, both for the light and calmer water as winds typically ease overnight.
A feeding grebe is easiest to approach; when the bird dives you can move closer while it is underwater, making sure to be still and ideally crouch down and/or use some vegetation to break up your outline in time for its return to the surface. Diving birds often have a general direction of travel so you can position yourself ahead of them, though where they pop up depends on the quest for prey beneath the surface. Keeping low down and maybe even using some camouflage netting helps to avoid disturbance. As always, spending some time watching the birds from a distance and familiarising yourself with their behaviour is an excellent plan. This could be particularly useful if they have a favoured spot in which to display, so you can get in position and wait for the action to take place.
A greatly sought-after image is a pair of birds in full ‘weed dance’, paddling away on the surface of the water opposite each other with a beakful of weeds while swaying their heads from side to side.
Even if they don’t break into a full display, courting adults facing each other with their ornate head plumes spread will make for a beautiful image. So far I’ve only really managed some portraits of this species, but even if this is the only opportunity one gets, good light can make for some lovely images. Still water can also give some long reflections and the opportunity for some experimentation with composition. Shooting into the light could also be worth trying when operating early or late in the day, in particular.
• If you take a nice Great Crested Grebe photo this spring, we’d love to see it! Email us at editorial@
birdwatch.co.uk by 31 March and we’ll publish some of our favourites in the May issue.