Hi, I have been keeping an anxious eye on our young Great Crested Grebe on the Boating Lake and have seen him there every day as well as his parents- who have continued to ignore him as he has them.
Today, however was different: I saw the two adults swimming about together quite soon but no sign of the chick.
After going round the lake at least five times, searching for him, Igot worried. Finally I spotted him, to my relief. He was busy swimming and diving. After a time he disappeared and I next found him under an oak tree on the South bank, resting and preening himself.
To my surprize, not faroff- under the same oak tree- was one of his parents, dozing on the water.They were not paying any attention to each other. Suddenly, the chick made a move towards his parent: he lowered and stretched out his neck down on the water, cheeping at the same time. The parent made threatening head movements at him. The chick tried to creep nearer, but theadult had had enough and frightened him off.
He returned to his original bit of water and the adult swam off towards the middle of the lake. I attach pics of this incident. Tomorrow I am going away from Ilford for nearly two weeks- I'm sure I'll be worrying about the chick all the time even though he is getting strong now... Gillian Ware
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