Horned Grebes nesting.

The female Horned Grebe has just returned to the nest.

She spent a few seconds checking the eggs before settling in.

Satisfied everything was acceptable, the female returns to incubating the clutch of six eggs.

For a few seconds she sat still, and looked like she was going to relax.

No she just couldn't relax. She had to rearrange the nesting materials.

The nest is a floating platform of vegetation anchored to cattails.

A final picture this evening, the Horned Grebe sitting on her floating nest, above a mirror image in the water.

Thats great Gary! Thanks for sharing the pics with us!

Beautiful!

Wonderful series Gary...so glad you shared! Man would I love to see something like this!

Lovely images. Awaiting more.

The beautiful Horned Grebes are uncommon in this area. Red-necked Grebes are abundant. This evening I went over to West Chester Lagoon and photographed a pair of nesting Red-necked Grebes.

Time for a shift change on the nest.

As one Grebe approaches the nest, from the near side, the other Grebe slips into the water, on the far side.

The arriving Grebe spent several minutes inspection and rearranging the nest and eggs. The eggs are just barely visible over the rim of the nest, between the Grebe's bill and t foot.

Eventually, the Grebe exposes the brood patch, as it prepars for the next shift, on the nest.

Nice photos, Gary. Great to see them in breeding plumage. When I see them here in Maryland, they are generally more drab looking and a little difficult to distinguish between the two.

How are things unfolding at the nest? There must be some magic sounds of isolation where you are.

Really interesting series gras. I'm with Margaret. How are they developing?

When I checked on the Horned Grebes this evening, one parent was sitting on the nest, incubating the eggs.

When the Grebe got up for a stretch, I took pictures of the eggs. Looking at the egg pictures, I can only count four eggs. There were six eggs last week. Apparently two eggs have hatched, and were with the other parent, at the far end of the pond. I saw the other Grebe in the distance, but didn't pay any attention to it.

Returning to the nest, the Grebe goes through the usual inspection and rearrangement routine.

I flushed this pair of geese, with only one gosling, on the walk, to the Grebes nest. The gosling is being lead away from the dangerous photographer!

Very exciting gras! Can't wait to see what the grebe kids look like.

Very cute Gras! Yes those photographers have such a bad reputation! :-)

This evening I finally got the first pictures, of the Horned Grebe chicks . I'm still sorting the 300+ shots.

The chicks spent most of their time feeding among the cattails and the brush along the waters edge. As a result the recycle bin is filling up fast.

An adult with one of the four chicks. On the 17th, I noted above, there were only four eggs still in the nest. I believe I got a picture, of the egg thief, before the evening was over. More later.
Gary

They are beautiful. Looking forward to more.

Great pics Gary! Looking forward to seeing more. Those chicks are so sweet!

Nice one!

I'm getting a bit worried about my local Black-necked Grebes, no sign of any chicks yet last time I saw them.

Resin

Resin, your Black-neck Grebes are surprisingly similar to our Horned Grebes.

The Grebes were back lighted last evening. As a result, most of the shots were poor quality-recycle-bin material.
An adult with all four chicks.
Gary

A parent giving the photographer the "Lucifer look".

The Grebes live in this pond, only 50 feet wide, but a half a mile long. The pond is between the railroad and the highway. The gray speck beyond the far end, of the visible water, is my truck at the end of the pond.
Gary

eek, evil grebe!!!

Great shots, Gary as well as the narratives. I don't get to see them in their breeding plumage,and obviously, don't get to see the chicks, either.

When I returned to the truck last evening, Mew Gulls were diving at something on the inlet side of the railroad grade. Expecting to find a predator chasing gull chicks, I climbed up onto the railroad grade. I couldn't see any predators, only this Mew Gull nest. The gulls calmed down instead of diving at me, as would be expected. Something didn't seem right, but it was a good opportunity to get photos, of the nest and eggs.

I climbed down the large rocks on the ocean side of the railroad grade, and took this closeup of the Mew Gull nest. I found it strange because the gulls didn't seem to be concerned with my presents. This is a strange place for a Mew Gull nest. There is a loose colony of hundreds of gulls in the fresh water, of Potters Marsh, on the opposite side of the RR & Hwy. In the marsh they nest among the reeds.

I looked up from the last shot, and saw this Weasel coming out of a hole between the rocks, trying to get spider webs off it's face. The Weasel darted in and out of the rocks working its way up the railroad grade, with me following. When I looked back down it was underneath the log with the nest. There were actually two Weasels, and I scared them off. There is a good possibility they ate two of the Grebe eggs.
Gary

Great shots Gary. Love the weasel,glad you scared them off.