Editor’s note: This photo and video post that would normally appear in our photoblog Simergphotos is being published on our primary website Simerg, while we carry out essential upgrades to Simergphotos.
This post is an update to a splendid photo/video piece on the birth of the first grebette to a pair of Red-necked Grebes who decide to pick a Calgary Pond located on Country Hills Blvd for nesting to start a family.
Readers should note that both the male and female Red-necked Grebes share in the incubation. During the many many hours I spent at the pond over the past week, I observed that the dominant partner in the incubation was the male, and I say that because I saw the male, which is slightly larger than the female, spend more time in the nest than his female partner.
The mom’s time was mainly spent in the water, always looking out for danger through her perceptive senses of hearing and eyesight. A constant threat was a nearby resident muskrat. When she became aware of its presence, she would immediately go underwater and swim toward the muskrat to make sure it changed its direction away from the nest. The mom, as per my observation, also gathered and fed the newborns as well as participated in the upkeep of the nest. However, her food offerings to her babies were not always accepted and she would wisely retreat.
Further to my sighting on July 22 of the first baby (henceforth also referred to as a grebette) this new post now reflects my two additional visits to the pond that took place on July 24, when I sighted two grebettes, and on July 26 when I saw three grebettes swimming with their parents in the middle of the pond, at least 125 metres from the nest. It appears to me that the nest with 1 more egg still remaining to be hatched has been abandoned.
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I say this because the Red-necked Grebes never returned to the nest during my 2 hour stay at the pond. I tried to capture a video and photographs of the far-away Grebes and their babies as best as I could with the 40-150 mm lens on my Olympus camera.
Enjoy the photos from my visits to this great pond on Country Hills Blvd in NE Calgary. Of course, I shall be returning to the pond to see the grebettes in the coming days, as I have been told that they continue to ride on their parents backs for the first two weeks of their lives. From time to time, they are given the opportunity to swim by their parents side. The male parent literally flips them into the water as you will see in some of the videos. The male, I noted, exerted his authority over the family quite firmly, while at the same time being warm to his babies and showing deep attachment and love to his female partner. He was also a great educator, as you will see in one of the videos, where he appears to be instructing his baby on how to take care of the nest! I think that was amazing. There are a couple of yawns from the little baby as he was watching his father’s demonstration. Didn’t we all when we were children and even more so later in life as we began taking serious classes?
July 24th, 2023: Photographs and Videos of Red-necked Grebes and their Babies at a Stormwater Wet Pond on Country Hills Blvd in Calgary NE
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A series of 4 related photographs and a video
As mentioned earlier, the incubation of eggs in the Grebe family is shared between the male and female. This series of 4 photographs and the video after encapsulate the transition of incubation from the male Red-necked Grebe to his female partner.
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VIDEO 1 (This is a sequel to the 4 preceding photos)
DESCRIPTION: The following video below is a fantastic conclusion to the sequence of 4 photos shown above of the incubation transition from the male Red-necked Grebe to his female partner
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VIDEO 2/13
DESCRIPTION: In this extremely short video, the mom arrives at the nest to feed her new-born grebette and returns to the pond to get some more nourishment
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VIDEO 3/13
DESCRIPTION: In this interesting video, we see the female Red-necked Grebe returning to the nest, carefully jumping onto its edge, taking great care to organize it before gracefully sitting on her unhatched eggs.
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VIDEO 4/13
DESCRIPTION: In this video, the mother fails in her attempt to feed her babies, and retreats. The 2 new born grebettes are being playful by their father’s tail. Once the tail wind opens, they slide into it and one of the babies is then seen emerging on centre of his back.
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VIDEO 5/13
DESCRIPTION: In this cute video, the new born gribette decides to have some fun with its mother by pushing against her such in such a way that she moves in a clockwise direction. Seemingly, the baby having been well nourished, appears to have gained enough strength to become playful since its birth in the last 48 hours.
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VIDEO 6/13
DESCRIPTION: In this extraordinary video, we see one bregette on the back of its mom, while the second one swims beside her. The male Red-necked Grebe decides to leave the nest where he was incubating the remaining 2 eggs. The mom then takes over the incubation duty after carrying out some nest maintenance. The bregettes who were with the mom join their dad for some play time. One easily slides into his wing while the second one has a hard time and continues with its struggle
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VIDEO 7/13
DESCRIPTION: In this cute video, we see a grebette slide underneath the father’s wings after a struggle and then pops out of the top of his back
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VIDEO 8/13
DESCRIPTION: In this incredible short video, I capture the first and only instance I hear the cries of the Red-necked Grebes during my entire period at the pond. Unfortunately my camera shook and the remaining video had to be edited out.
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VIDEO 9/13
DESCRIPTION: In this very short video, we see the female Red-necked Grebe bathing while her male partner has the two grebettes, one on the back and the second at the end of his tail.
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VIDEO 10/13
DESCRIPTION: In this amazing video, we see the mom Red-necked Grebe suddenly appear by the nest. First, she looks around for any signs of danger and then she performs some maintenance on the nest before elegantly sitting down on the eggs for more incubation.
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VIDEO 11/13
DESCRIPTION: In this stunning video, we see the male Red-necked Grebe swimming with his two new born grebettes towards the nest. The female, who is left a little bit behind, catches up with him as he reaches the nest and she begins to feed her babies while they are still with the male. The male then suddenly flips his two babies into the water as he climbs onto the nest. He then commences his incubation duty, but not before performing some maintenance on the nest. The female assists in the nest maintenance. The grebettes are then playful with their mom before she finally accepts them under her wing, which she folds down for their protection.
VIDEO 12/13
DESCRIPTION: In this last video taken late in the afternoon on July 24, we appear to see the beautiful and caring parents provide a 45 second lesson on nest upkeeping to one of their new-born grebettes. After the demonstration is over, the father lets the grebette slide underneath his wing for a a well-deserved rest! Gribettes spend their first two weeks or so on the backs of their parents and I would guess they are taught about life’s duties just as any other living thing
July 24, 2023, Photograph of the Day: Thanking the Maker of the Heavens and the Earth
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July 26, 2023: The Red-necked Grebe Family of 5 and Other Wildlife at a Stormwater Wet Pond on Country Hills Blvd in Calgary NE,
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VIDEO 13/13
DESCRIPTION: In this video, we see the new Red-necked Grebe family of 5 in the middle of the pond, about 125 metres from the location of their nest where one egg remains unhatched. There is a grebette already swimming in the water and in a few moments we see the male flip his 2 babies that were in his wings into the water.
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The Beautiful New Red-necked Grebe Family
Date posted: July 27, 2023.
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