Black-necked grebes spotted in Moses Gate Country Park

There are only around 55 breeding pairs of black-necked grebes in the country, according to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), making this duo an uncommon sight.

(Image: Carl Abbott)

Local photographer Carl Abbott managed to capture some shots of them in Moses Gate Park, acting on a tip-off from the RSPB online forums.

Terry Delaney, from the RSPB Bolton branch, said: “While these birds are not common, they breed in a number of places within the UK. 

There are quite a few about at the moment as they will have just bred. 

“One of the places they breed is Woolston Eyes in Warrington.  Some of them can be seen at Pennington and Elton reservoir during the spring and summer.

Black-necked grebes are diving birds about the size of a moorhen, which ‘breeds in just a handful of places around the country’, according to the Wildlife Trust.

(Image: Carl Abbott)

They can be distinguished by their striking red eyes, the golden tufts near their ears, and by their deep black necks.

The animals tend to be found nesting near the water’s edge due to the fact that they are not very good at walking.

(Image: Carl Abbott)

Their breeding dance is famous – the male and female birds swim round one another, mirroring each other’s movements.

They then rise up out of the water together, breast-to-breast, waving their heads in what the RSPB calls their ‘penguin dance.’

The birds are known to be secretive during their breeding seasons, preferring quiet, out-of-the-way locations and spurning human and animal contact.

(Image: Carl Abbott)

For this reason, their nests tend to be well hidden by the waterside, usually amongst thick reeds or sedges.

Black-necked grebes were first recorded in the UK in 1904, with the population fluctuating year on year – though their numbers have generally been on the increase since the 1980s.