A Great Northern Diver turned up at my local, Caldecotte Lake, on Wednesday afternoon, and has caused great excitement amongst the local birders, and some from a little further afield too.
A juvenile, that has decided to spend a few days here, in Milton Keynes.
They eat fish, naturally, which they dive for, usually in deep water.
The weird thing is, the water level of the lake had dropped considerably; strangely enough the night before he arrived.
A good two feet of the overall water level had drained away into the River Ouzel.
Considering the overall distance around the lake, is 4.2 km, that's a lot of water.
The official reason, from Anglia Water, I was told by a third party, was that the computerised sluice gate, that controls the flow in times of need, (after all, Caldecotte is one of 11 balancing lakes here), had stuck open Tuesday night, allowing the water to flow away.
Coincidently, (some might think), it was reported on the Wednesday, that Anglia Water had applied to the Environment Agency to be allowed to drain water from some rivers, into its reservoirs, because they are low.
I'm so cynical at times.
But back to this fabulous bird.
It's a bird that usually winters around our coast, and occasionally inland.
How long it will stay, is anyone's guess.
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Enjoy your weekend
30 comments:
Another wonderful post. Let us hope it likes boats.
Thanks Adrian. With any luck it will be too shallow where they set off :-)
Excellent post and a great set of images Keith. I really like the close up...did you get your feet wet?...lol. And the last one, showing that beautiful eye colour,is a stunner...[;o)
Jak przybyło wody, to chyba dobrze dla tych świetnych nurków.Trzecie zdjęcie, to piękny portret kaczki. Pozdrawiam
You are so lucky, lucky, lucky. Fantastic photos.
You don't have a monopoly on being cynical Keith ;)
The GN Diver certainly lives up to its name. It really does sit very low in the water when you compare it with other water foul on the lake.
Thanks Trevor. He's such a friendly bird; almost tame lol
Kiitos Giga. Olin tyytyväinen, että yksi.
Thanks Bob. I don't know how much longer he'll stay.
Cheers John; thought it was just me lol
he's really neat. with his large silver bill and his scalloped feather patterns, he almost looks a bit reptilian. :)
Thanks Theresa. He is a real beauty, and the first one I've ever seen.
If these birds are like the Common Loon that we sometimes see here, they are hard to photograph because they're usually shy and will dive with little provocation. And they may come up again far from where they went down. You've captured some great shots here. I especially liked the closeup. Nicely done.
Thanks Linda. Yea, they are the same bird. This one is a juvenile, and not very wary of people yet. He doesn't stay on the surface very long though, and like you say, can come up a considerable distance from where he submerged. A beautiful bird to see.
Beautiful shots of a very interesting bird.
Thanks Gillian :-)
Great shots of a very interesting bird!
very nice local bird!
Lovely birdpictures at your blog !
Nice to watch !
You have got some great shots of the Diver Keith, a bird I have never seen.
You, cynical, surely not.{:)
Never seen one of these ... such an interesting pattern of feathers ... I so enjoy cynicism!
Robin thank you. They are a lovely bird, and not often seen inland.
Thanks Pete. A great county tick, and a personal one.
Thank you Ronnie, and thanks for stopping by.
Thanks Roy. The bird was a lifer for me.
When I was working, and a shop steward, my 'cynicism' was called 'obstructive' by the management lol
Reena, thanks. Yea, their feather pattern look like scales.
Hi Keith,
Stunning bird! I have been lucky enough to see one of these at Rutland Water, but never on my own patch! Fingers crossed, some day I will!
J
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Thanks John. They are a lovely bird to see. First time for me; and on my local too. :-)
Wonderful shots Keith!
Cynical or a realist?
Thanks Dave.
Realist? Well, it does seem a lot of people I've met round the lake, that have enquired about the low water, tend to form the same opinion, once I relay the facts as I know them. lol
Beautiful birdfotos. The last one is my favourite.
For whatever reason about the water,you captured great photos of this bird!I agree you are lucky!phyllis
Thank you Kozma. :-)
Phyllis, thank you. :-)
Great shots of a real illusive, and interesting bird!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
Thanks Gary.
A real treat for us here to see it.
It usually appears around our coast; seldom inland.
What an amazing bird to see! I am intrigued by all the angles to its head and beak!
Thanks Kathie. It's a great visitor to have at my local lake.
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