Anyone who has followed this blog from it's early days (HERE) will know about my childish delight in the old Orkney name for the little grebe. Back then I thought RNFA might describe a disease, but Wayne fits the bill so much better.
Anyway a few days up north saw me carefully misjudging the weather quite skillfully, timing free days to match cloud and even rain. A Met Office suggestion of some sun saw me scratching my head before heading off to see if I could find some adders. No sun, no snakes. When the macro lens is out in early spring it's not usually a good sign, but the urge to snap saw me successfully stalk a fly .....
and an as yet unidentified fungus.
However just after leaving the car park a friendly guy asked if I was there to see the grebe. The blank look led to the explanation that a Red-necked grebe was around. Meeting him again after my fly hunt and fungus chase he had found the bird, so we went for a look. At first it was well off, annoying the GC grebes, but eventually it came a little closer. No light and heavy crops, but you do get a feel for this quite attractive bird.
What struck me as a bit sad was it's repeated calling. Not as though it has much chance of a mate dropping in.
Doing a bit of googling afterwards it seems that a bird, and presumably the same one has been a regular at this site for some years now. The call was quite distinctive, and rather grating, Couldn't place it - bit like a bass water rail maybe, or more often the cartoon screech of car tyres just clinging to a sharp bend. Click here to go to a site where you can get some flavour of the call - especially towards the end.
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