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Belgian Photographer David Pattyn Has Been Photographing Waterbirds for Years, with a Particular Attraction Towards Grebes

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Belgian Photographer David Pattyn Has Been Photographing Waterbirds for Years, with a Particular Attraction Towards Grebes The Life Aquatic Belgian photographer David Pattyn has been photographing waterbirds for years, with a particular attraction towards grebes. As birds that rarely fly, and hardly ever step foot on land, photographing grebes means getting in the water with them. Pattyn’s rare and intimate photographs reveal their private world as they see it, at water level. - ALL TEXT AND PHOTOS BY DAVID PATTYN / NATUREPL.COM - Most grebes have elaborate breeding plu- mage and ritualised courtship displays. Some display blood-red eyes and crests or ear tufts, almost looking like they come from another world. Grebes are specialised diving birds that spend virtually their whole lives on water. Their large feet are set well back on their bodies, making them efficient swim- mers but very clumsy on land, with the result that they very rarely leave the water. They build floating nests out of reeds and waterweeds and find all their food (insects, amphibians, crustaceans and fish) in or on the water. The prevailing threats to grebes this century have been habitat loss, such as the conversion of wetland habitat to agricultural land and the realloca- tion of water for other uses. Additionally, grebes are threatened by water pollution, alterations to water levels and the increase in recreational water-based activities. Some populations may also be affected by oil pol- lution and gill-net fishing. [Above]: The great crested grebe is one spe- cies that is commonly drowned accidentally in monofilament gill-nets. tion for the hats and undergarments of upper and cyprinid fish such as minnows, which Great Crested Grebe class ladies. By 1860, they had been hunted benefit from the increased water productivity. almost to the point of exinction, with barely This in turn profits the grebes, and they are 50 breeding pairs remaining. A timely hun- sometimes found in sewage farms or strongly The great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) is population of great crested grebes may num- ting ban reversed their fortunes, and great polluted lakes near garbage dumps. However, the largest and most widely distributed grebe ber more than a million birds, although the crested grebe numbers have continued to once eutrophication reaches a certain stage, in Europe, absent as a breeding bird only from migratory behaviour of the species makes it increase across Europe in the second half of the fish populations become irregular, resul- Iceland and other northern latitudes. The spe- difficult to calculate a reliable figure. the 20th century, patly due to eutrophication ting in breeding failure among grebes, or po- cies’ global range is vast, also stretching across In 19th century Europe, the ornate black and (water pollution) from agricultural fertilisers. pulation shifts. Because of these relationships, central and southern Asia, with scattered co- chestnut head plumes of the great crested When this occurs, the oversupply of nutrients counts of great crested grebes are reliable indi- lonies in Africa and Australasia. The global grebe became a much-sought-after decora- induces an explosive growth in plants, algae, cators of water quality in agricultural regions. Great crested grebes are adaptabile to both fresh and brackish water. They prefer fairly open lakes with reed-fringed bays, but are equally at home in swamps, estuaries, reser- voirs, fish ponds, and flooded gravel pits. They require a plentiful supply of aquatic plants so they can build nesting platforms in the middle of the water. Alternatively, they may choose to nest among reed beds or floo- ded thickets close to the water’s edge. At the beginning of the breeding season, when their agenda becomes clear. Either they will hormones are raging, great crested grebes are begin courtship, or it will all end in a fight, as a force to be reckoned with. As adults, males shown here. Fighting usually breaks out over and females are not easily distinguished. Wat- territorial disputes for the most favourable ching two grebes float purposefully towards mating spots, and the battles can be ferocious, eachother, it is sometimes difficult to tell the with rival males attempting to stab their op- difference between a courting couple and two ponent with their beaks. rival males intent on attacking one another. In Even after mating pairs have formed, the fi- Male in threat posture as both situations, the head is kept low over the ghting continues, with both sexes working as it approaches a rival water, the crest erected. Once the birds meet, a team to fend off competitors or intruders. [1] [2] [4] Great crested grebes are well-known for their [5] elaborate courtship displays. Mild displays are performed regularly to reinforce the bond between mating pairs, but when desire esca- lates into action, it leads to one of the most spectacular displays in the avian world. One of the birds dives, approaching the other almost unseen, and re-emerges within the personal space of its potential mate, rearing [3] up with its neck arched down, declaring its amorous intentions. The displaying bird may be rebuffed and chased away, losing a few feathers in the pro- cess. But if the second bird is receptive to its advances, it will reply by half-spreading its wings and extending its cheek frills [1]. The birds have now made a partnership, and [6] they’re ready to dance. Facing eachother, the male and female syn- chronise their movements in a graceful water ballet [2]. They bow their heads [3] and shake them from side to side [4], in a kind of tango that leads to the climax of their dance. The birds dive together, resurfacing with wa- terweed in their bills. Rushing towards eacho- ther, they meet breast to breast [5], rearing up out of the water and paddling their feet to maintain their balance. They may remain like this for some time, showing off their wate- rweed with sideways shakes of their heads [6]. All the elegant courtship displays are, of course, pre- paration for the ultimate goal: mating. First, the male and female gather together aquatic plant material to create a mating platform. Often, this is the place where they will later make their nest but not always. I have seen some mating sites that have been used by many different pairs. Once the mating site is ready and all neces- sary dances have been performed, the fe- male will invite the male to mate. She will lay in a flat position on the mating spot and call the male, who jumps on top of her, while calling. After mating, he will jump onto her head and dance on top of her. Often, the female completely disap- pears under the water during this process, only to emerge again and mimick the male’s head movements. Females lay between 1 - 9 eggs, with 4 eggs being the average clutch size. The male and fe- male take it in turns to sit, incubating the eggs for 27-29 days. Young grebes are delightfully zebra-striped, capable of swimming and diving almost as soon as they hatch. However, for the first 3-4 weeks they are carried around on the back of one parent, while the other brings them food. Parent grebes assist the young to climb aboard by placing a foot on the surface of the water. Parent grebes teach their chicks to swim by di- ving beneath the surface, leaving them floating on the surface. The adult then re-surfaces a few feet away, and the chicks swim over to them and climb back on. The chicks grow rapidly, and before long the adullts begin dis- couraging them from boarding by pushing them off and manoeuvring quickly out of the way, forcing them to swim by themselves, though they will continue to guard the chicks until they are fully fledged. The chicks are fed a menu of insects and fish as they grow, but they are also fed feathers. At first, it was thought that this was some kind of protection against the spines of the fish they eat. However, in 2008, Dutch researchers sug- gested that feather eating, which enables the formation of pellets, could be a defence mechanism against parasites. By regurgtating the pellets once every two days, great crested grebes could be minimizing the chance of gastric parasites building up in the upper part of the alimentary tract. Great crested grebe feeding a feather to its chick. Great crested grebes have a very long bree- ding season, typically between April and Sep- tember in Europe. But they are ready to breed in any season if suitable conditions arise. In many parts of their range, they may raise two clutches of chicks per year. The first usually hatch in April, and the last in August-Septem- ber. Already, when the first brood are between 6 - 10 weeks old, parents might begin court- ship again, even though their chicks are not yet independent. If the two broods overlap, chicks from the first brood may assist in rai- sing the younger generation. The Great-crested Grebe in winter plumage lacks the chestnut ruff and the head is simply black and white. The body plumage is duller and greyer. The chicks can feed themselves by the time they are 8 weeks old and are fully grown at eleven weeks. They lose their distinctive black and white markings, gaining the im- pressive plumage around their face and on top of their head, in preparation for attrac- ting mates. As adults, they will undergo a change at the end of each breeding season, replacing all their feathers, including their flight fea- thers, rendering them temporarily flightless. Some may disperse locally to large lakes and reservoirs for the moulting period, during which time gatherings of hundreds of indivi- duals may form.
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