David Element's Wildlife Web Page Birds 43

David Element

Wildlife Photography

and Digital Video Images

_____________________ Birds 43 - Black-necked Grebes

BLACK-NECKED GREBE Podiceps nigricollis

These photographs of a very confiding summer plumaged Black-necked Grebe 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.