Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) and young ones on the Wharf on July 4 – can you see the striped neck of the second offspring riding on its mother’s back?
The water birds are a constant delight on the Wharf next to my office in County Hall, Cardiff, and at the moment they have juveniles with them. I missed most of the very small baby birds as they are growing up so fast…
Mostly I have been watching the grebes – just the one pair – and the coots…
Young coot (Fulica atra) on June 7 – crossing the barrier between the Wharf and a little backwater
Young coots on June 4…
…they were in a family group chasing a bobbing piece of orange peel as if they were playing water polo
Coot on July 4 – maybe an adult or certainly nearly grown
This coot has built a nest or roost next to a concrete pillar near the edge of the Wharf…
…a closer look
This coot is in a more polluted spot, in the stagnant feeder canal…
…a closer look
For more about coots – in cleaner surroundings – see this post on The Rattling Crow blogspot.
I was delighted to see the young grebes last week – this one seemed to follow its mother around…
…like a mini me…
…whatever her direction – this way…
…and that
I think this was the male grebe on a different day
…a closer look
The cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) are always there on the Wharf, but I have seen no young
A closer look at the breeding plumage
And finally…
House sparrows (Passer domesticus) are not seen so much in our gardens these days – but they still live in some of our public spaces, like the Wharf – this male sparrow has caught a worm
The Squirrelbasket 
Sad that there are less house sparrows.
House sparrows are not declining in Wales, only in the Southeast and similar regions of England. The one in Pat’s picture is carrying worms and this will be because it has young in a nest nearby . Adult house sparrows largely eat seeds.
Thanks for the information! My idea that they were declining in domestic gardens must have come from the English-biased press.
Interesting about the diet of worms…
All the best 🙂
They do survive – I guess it’s just that other birds have lost their habitat so are coming into gardens instead of sparrows, driving them into the city centres.
All the best 🙂
The grebes are so beautiful! I only know drab winter grebes (when I lived in California). I was surprised to hear about the house sparrow decline, as they’re so common here year-round. They were introduced to North America, and apparently don’t survive in the wild, but they definitely thrive in towns and cities.
Were they intentionally introduced to America? Or did they hitch a ride on a ship?
All the best 🙂
A belated reply re house sparrows here. It was interesting to investigate … according to WY bird book, they were intentionally introduced in Salt Lake City and Denver and had settled in southern Wyoming, including Laramie, by the early 1890s. More continued to move west from cities in the eastern US.
Strange thing to “intentionally” introduce!
Thank you for the information 🙂
I’ve just found your blog (via a post about the church at Mwnt, Cardiganshire). House Sparrows are alive and thriving at our house, where they live behind the barge boards and are constantly about the garden.
Lovely photos of the birdlife where you work. Must go for a wander down there as never seen a Great Crested Grebe in the flesh before.
I’m pleased you have sparrows – which are cheerfully noisy!
I hadn’t seen a grebe before, either, but you should visit the Bay.
Best wishes 🙂
Grebes are extraordinary to look at. I think of them in the same way as I think of barges.
I suppose they do move that way!
When I think of barges I think of the traditional designs of roses and castles.
One thought leads to another…
All the best 🙂
It’s the way they are flat topped and carry things. Their babies are like cargo.
I see what you mean 🙂