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The Thick-necked Heron |
This is a picture blog with the stories in the captions.
The headline story will follow...
first a couple of
Great Crested Grebes [
Podiceps cristatus] Grèbe huppé displayed...
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First the grebes swim towards one another... but not looking at each other... |
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...when they meet, they gradually rise out of the water, flicking their heads from side to side...
occasionally banging their bills together... |
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...then they dip their heads away alternately... before... |
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... turning to swim parallel with each other and... |
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...diving at the same time to get a bit of weed. |
So good so far... but this pair didn't continue by rising at the same time with weed in mouth and then walking on the water towards each other.
[Like this] A shame... perhaps they weren't that interested in each other... or there was too little weed... or they were new to the game...who knows.
And now the headline... a sighting of the rare
Thick-necked Heron [
Ardea grossneccus]
Héron gôutpikée...
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The heron mentioned in the last posting seems to have been successful... it looks large though... |
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....but, it doesn't seem to be dead yet...STAB with the bill... |
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... is it dead yet... picks it up again... wow! It is big... no wonder it is having difficulty... it is as big as its head! |
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Ahha! It's caught a good sized Pike [Esox lucius] Brochet...
no wonder it is having difficulties...
it has caught more than it can eat in one go. |
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It is a bit of a beak full...
he's going to have fun flying off with that! |
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No... he's not happy with it... another STAB... will that finish it? |
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Now what's he doing? Looks as though he's getting ready to fly off with it... |
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Yes... that's well positioned... he'll fly off now and eat it elsewhere. |
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No.... I think he's going to swallow it now.... he'll choke!! |
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By George...he's going to do it!! |
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And there you have it The Thick-necked Heron [Ardea grossneccus] Héron gôutpikée... in all its glory! |
And that's what comes of large lunches...
...now take off.
We then moved on towards the Cherine...