Red Necked Grebe, Podiceps grisegena

[KevinA]

This was a new lifer for me today and a Red listed bird here in Britain. From the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) site :-
'Like all grebes, this is an expert swimmer and diver. Its winter plumage is similar to a Great Crested Grebe but has a thicker neck and a stout dark bill with a yellow base. It has a brown body, a black crown with whitish cheeks and, in summer, a red neck and breast. It's suspected to breed in the UK but the potential sites are kept secret and birds are given special protection. Less than 20 individuals spend the summer in the UK each year, with numbers increasing slightly in the winter when birds move here from colder Europe. '
So with less than 20 individuals in the UK, it was a great treat to see it.

Red Necked Grebe, Podiceps grisegena

Red Necked Grebe, Podiceps grisegena

 

[AlanLichty]

A great treat to see as well as get shots of it! Beautiful markings on this specimen and some nice images. I like the second image with the slightly more saturated view of the neck feather colors.

 

[JimFox]

Wow! Only 20 in the UK, and you captured one of them! Was there only the one there by itself?

Great job on the captures, I sure like the detail you got.

 

[Douglas Sherman]

Beautiful images, Kevin.

 

[Eric Gofreed]

It is a treat to see Red-necked Grebes in breeding plumage. So much prettier than the relatively drab, female-like plumage we see here in Arizona.

 

[KevinA]

A great treat to see as well as get shots of it! Beautiful markings on this specimen and some nice images. I like the second image with the slightly more saturated view of the neck feather colors.

Thank you for looking and commenting Alan

Wow! Only 20 in the UK, and you captured one of them! Was there only the one there by itself?

Great job on the captures, I sure like the detail you got.

Thank you Jim. Yes, only the one.

Beautiful images, Kevin.

Thank you for looking and commenting Douglas

It is a treat to see Red-necked Grebes in breeding plumage. So much prettier than the relatively drab, female-like plumage we see here in Arizona.

Thank you Eric. It's very unusual to see Red-necked Grebes in breeding plumage here as well, they are usually a lot further north before they change.

 

[Trent Watts]

Nice images of this Red-necked Kevin. It is one of the most common grebes we see here on the prairies as they find lots of places to breed. I did not know they were so rare in the UK. How wonderful you were able to photograph it.

 

[KevinA]

Nice images of this Red-necked Kevin. It is one of the most common grebes we see here on the prairies as they find lots of places to breed. I did not know they were so rare in the UK. How wonderful you were able to photograph it.

Thank you Trent. It's often the case that something one person finds common is extremely rare to someone else.