Baby on board - Great Crested Grebes in Regent's Park

Last week the sun came out and I took myself off, with camera, for a wildlife-seeking walk round the lake in Regent's Park.  In the middle of the widest part of the long narrow lake in the park, and some distance away, I saw a Great Crested Grebe floating around.  It was only when I downloaded my photographs onto the computer that I saw that there was a striped little baby chick on board.  In the picture below, it's head can just be seen on the back of the bird.

The Great Crested Grebe is sleeping and the chick's head can hardly be seen on it's back.

The partner Great Crested Grebe then swam over and joined the baby boat.  A small tasty (to Grebes) morsel can be seen in it's beak.  It was feeding time for the chick.  Of course, until I looked at the photos later on, I was completely unaware that this was going on!

There is more food in the beak of the bird on the left, but now there is no sign of the chick as it is on the other side of the partner bird.

The grocery delivery bird took a drink, or washed it's beak - not sure which!

Here it is giving more food to the now invisible chick.

I took several photos of both Great Crested Grebes, but this is one of a parent bird on its own.

More feeding took place, with the striped head now being clearly seen on the back of the baby boat.

All food having been delivered for the time being, the grocery parent went swimming off along the lake.

I walked round the end of the lake to the opposite side where I was slightly nearer to the Great Crested Grebe, though I was still completely unaware of the additional passenger.  The chick's striped head can be seen below it's parent's beak.  The adult has now gone back into relaxed sleepy mode now that the baby has been fed.

I must say that I was absolutely thrilled when I looked at the photographs properly and discovered the chick.  I would have taken even more photographs had it known it was riding on the back of the adult bird.

Lapwings, Swans and Little Egrets at Rainham Marshes

In the middle of February I went to Rainham Marshes, near Purfleet.  There, from one of the hides, I saw a multitude of Lapwings.

In another part of the marshes, two Mute swans were walking in tandem.

I was overjoyed to see a Little Egret.

I was even more overjoyed to see two Little Egrets.

From another hide further round the site I got a closer view of a Lapwing.

What a great place!