Gorgeous Grebes
Great Crested Grebes displaying.
Majorca has a small
selection of grebes, and all of them are splendid and full of character in
their own way. There is certainly no shortage of water available on the island
in the form of pools and marshes, and when you consider large sites such as the
marshes of the Albufera, Albufereta and Tucan, and the salt pans at Sallinas de
Llevante in the south, there is some ideal habitat to be had. With two resident
species of grebe and one winter and passage migrant, there is something for the
enthusiast to look for.
The Red-necked Grebe is an extreme rarity on the island and hasn’t been
seen for over ten years now. However, the same thankfully is not the case for
one of the most splendid looking grebes – the Great Crested Grebe, and as the name implies, it does indeed have a
great crest. In fact it was these beautiful feathers that almost led to their
extinction in Britain during the Victorian era, where the ladies sporting these
feathers in their hats was the height of fashion during this period, and
brought the species down to around 40 pairs. It often worries me about the hunters who in
my opinion and no doubt many other peoples, cause mindless and unnecessary
mayhem amongst the bird world. A staggering 26,000 hunting licences were
granted for small game on Majorca which staggers me when you consider all that
is being done for conservation and tourism, yet so called people are allowed a
free reign. I just hope the water birds escape this onslaught to some extent? Previously sightings of this species were in
the winter and occasionally during migration, but personally I have seen them
in every month of the year, and my latest guide book on birds of Majorca lists
them now as a resident breeder.
The Great Crested Grebe has an unusual but eye catching display which
has several names such as ‘cat display’ and ‘penguin dance’. Preening and head
shaking are all part of the ritual display in early spring. If the observer is
present at the right time, they may get to see an even more unusual yet
splendid spectacle – the vegetation ritual (aka the penguin dance). With beaks
full of vegetation, the grebes begin the ‘penguin dance’, raising themselves
from the water, breast to breast, and with furiously paddling feet to keep them
up out of the water, they swing their heads close from side to side. This is
something I have not actually witnessed but it looks an incredible sight. A
comical element of this bird is their ability to stay underwater for long
periods of time. How often have we all watched one dive, only to see it emerge far
from where you were expecting it to?
Male Little Grebe
As much as I enjoy seeing
the Great Crested Grebe, for its
comical behaviour, my favourite has to be the Little Grebe, and what it may lack in size it more than makes up
for in character. I have watched them on Tucan Marsh where they can be found in
good numbers, chasing off the larger Common
Pochards and even squaring up to a Coot
which can be a feisty bird in its own right. Also a resident on Majorca, they can
be found anywhere where there is a good amount of water, sometimes in large
groups, which although they tolerate company wise, when it comes to breeding
time, they like a little space. They can also stay underwater for some time and
always pop up nowhere near to where they originally dived. The male in
particular is a handsome little fellow, with a dark head that contrasts nicely
with a dark red nape, and a white blotch below the lower mandible. It is also a
funny scene when one is carrying vegetation in its beak and trying to swim
across the open water to its nest to add the vegetation onto an already messy
looking structure. If they feel threatened by a larger duck they will dive
whilst still holding the vegetation firmly and re-emerge elsewhere, to continue
their journey to the nest site. In
flight, it’s very small size and upper wings with no white markings make it
easy to distinguish from other grebes.
The salt pans and
especially the nearby site of Es Trenc in the south is a good wintering site to
see another grebe. I have also seen this particular species in the springtime
when it is migrating and on one special occasion I saw one in full breeding plumage
in May at the Albufera. I am talking
about the Black-necked Grebe – in my
opinion, probably the handsomest of the grebes to be found on Majorca?
Black-necked Grebe
With striking, red
penetrating eyes, and golden side feathers on the head coupled with more
golden-red on the flanks, they really are a stunning looking bird. They simply
‘bob’ along on the gentle ripples of
the water, occasionally diving for food and always seem to be just taking
things easy. Nearly all of the sightings of this species on Majorca will
involve wintering birds, but in reasonable light, the blood red eye will be
visible. A peaked head and an upturned bill will also provide good
identification features. They are
skilful swimmers and are perfectly at home even on rough seas where they float
buoyantly over the waves. Very harsh weather however will see them frequent
sheltered feeding areas or even fly to new areas altogether.
There is one species of
bird however that although it is not a grebe – it closely associates itself
with them, often sharing the same habitats and indeed the same pools. Scuffles
occasionally break out, but by and large they tolerate each other well. This is
my chosen bird of the week – the Common
Pochard, a common resident breeder on Majorca.
Bird of the
week on Majorca – The Common Pochard
Often associated with grebes and waterfowl, this common duck
is a very pretty bird when seen up close, and good views in strong sunlight
will show off the red eye that blends in so well with the surrounding red of
the drakes head. Outside of the breeding season they can form large flocks.
They spend much of their time diving for food which consists mainly of plant
food such as seeds and shoots. They prefer
shallower water which explains why they are more often seen close to the
margins of well vegetated water. Tucan Marsh is a good site to see them close
in and in good numbers.
In flight, the wings of both sexes look similar, but the
contrasting dark head and neck of the male are distinctive whereas the female
has a much pale belly compared to the rest of the upperparts. The voice
consists of harsh growling type notes. Well vegetated pools are preferred in
the summer but in the winter they prefer open water. They are 42 – 49cm in
length with a wing span of 72 – 82cm and a weight of 800 – 1,200g, so they are
a chunky duck in effect. In the summer they are joined by the similar looking
Red-crested Pochard which when seen can sometimes be confused from a distance
for the Common Pochard – but there are differences.
They nest on the ground near to water where 8 – 10 greenish
eggs are laid. The male is a very attractive looking bird and very distinctive
too. The bill is quite long and broad and black but with a grey band across the
middle of the bill. The head is a rounded shape and is a deep reddish-orange
whilst the neck and breast are black. The eye is a deep red that blends in with
the head colour. The underparts and the back are grey and have intricate vermiculations. The female has a mottled-brown mixed with a
grey-brown plumage which is mostly grey on the back (but not as much as in the
male). The head shape and the bill pattern are the same as in the male. A good
feature for the female even from a distance is the pale ‘spectacle’ around the
eye which helps to separate her from other ducks (especially in the winter).
There are always a good number at Tucan Marsh on the
outskirts of Alcudia, and it is worth a stop off here anyway, as sharing the
same large open pool will be Red-crested Pochards (which will allow for
comparisons), Coot, Mallard, Gadwall, Shelduck and Moorhens. Large numbers of
Common Swifts (and sometimes Pallids), Swallows, House and Cag Martins aerial
feed over the water. Check along the edges for waders such as Common and Green
Sandpipers, Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers and Greenshanks. Purple Gallinules occasionally venture out
from the reeds to feed along the edges on the more succulent reed stems, and
always keep an eye out in the sky as both Osprey and Booted Eagle hunt over
here, along with the usual Marsh Harrier and occasional passing Red Kite.
Drake Common Pochard.
All pictures: Copyright N J Davies
Comments
Post a Comment