Black-necked Grebes at St Aidan's

31st May 2021

St Aidan's reserve is between Castelford and Leeds, so as I was staying in Leeds for a few days it would seem rude not to pay a visit.

St Aidan's was an open-cast coal mine and in March 1988 the River Aire burst its banks and after four days had flooded the entire mine workings. Mining was eventually restored for a further 10 years at which point the mine was transformed into a wetland reserve which is now managed under lease by the RSPB.

In mid-May 2021 several pairs of Black-necked Grebes were reported, but the week before our visit numbers had dropped to just five birds. I thought it unlikely that they had all moved on but could be on nests or feeding young in the reeds.

Having walked half way round the reserve without a sign I was coming to the conclusion that may have indeed moved on, but then a pair with two humbugs on the mother's back were spotted in the margins of the reeds, sometimes out of view altogether. Young grebes have stripey heads and are therefore called humbugs after the sweets.

The next hour or so was spent trying to photograph them on the few occasions that they left the safety of the reed margins and the results are shown below.

What a great introduction to St Aidan's!!