Water dancing bird pairs up for the first time on RSPB reserve in Brading Marshes.
It is the bird that was almost hunted to extinction and was the inspiration for the founding of the RSPB in 1889. The great crested grebe, which was culled for its feathers to make hats in Victorian times, has started breeding on the Isle of Wight for the first time.
It has been a good year so far for new birds breeding on the Brading Marshes reserve, with Little Egrets and Marsh Harriers also nesting for the first time on the island this year.
Keith Ballard, site manager at Brading Marshes said,
“We recorded great crested grebes a few times this winter, and a couple of weeks ago I noticed there was a pair of them.
“They were doing some courtship and displaying.
“The great crested grebe does an amazing courtship display where they appear to dance on water. It is really spectacular if you can get to see it.
“Last week, one of our volunteers reported that the pair were together and had built a nest.”
Rarely seen on the Isle of Wight
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