The North Yorkshire gravel pit which six species of grebe call home

The rarest was a pied-billed grebe, which is a vagrant from North America.

This bird spent much of its time on the river Ure, alongside the quarry here in Ripon, from 6/4/2000 to 21/4/2000.

Red-necked grebe, Slavonian grebe and black-necked grebe have all been recorded and photographed very occasionally during that 25-year period.

Great crested grebe breed on at least five of the water bodies on the quarry site every year. On two of the lakes, they sometimes manage to raise two broods in a year.

This is one of the species that was heading for extinction in 1889 and inspired a lady called Emily Williamson to create the Society for the Protection of Birds. Within a few years this became the R.S.P.B and gave the species full protection.

Every year I spend a lot of time studying these birds and I am constantly learning about their habits. I am not an ardent birder and certainly not a “twitcher.” I am totally fascinated by all wildlife.

During the winter months, great crested grebe congregate on the largest and deepest lake on the restored quarry area. It is very rare for this lake to completely freeze over.

The lake has a huge population of roach and perch, plus other small species such as bullhead, stone loach and minnow.

In the winter, the grebes lose their territorial instincts and gather in groups of up to 15 birds. Many of these will be young of the previous year.

On January 21 this year, I observed two birds displaying and passing clumps of weed to each other. This was just prior to storm “Henk” arriving and destroying any chance of an early spring.

It was mid-March before the males developed full breeding plumage and took up territories on the other lakes.

On some lakes the grebes paired up quickly, but on the Trout Lake the resident male was calling continually for a fortnight before he was joined by a female.

Once paired up, they chase away any other interlopers whatever sex they are.

The courtship ritual of the great crested grebe is quite spectacular and the pair form a strong bond. Nest building is undertaken jointly and is completed within a few days.

Most nests are near reedbeds, or marginal willows, but a few are totally in the open on top of a weed bed. Both sexes share the incubation and very often a sleeping female on the nest will have the male alongside keeping guard.

After hatching, the young grebes clamber onto the back of the female. The normal clutch is three, or four eggs.

It is during the first two weeks of life that they are most susceptible to predation.

Otter, mink and grey heron are the main predators. Starvation can be a major cause of death of great crested grebe chicks.

When they are small, they need a ready and frequent supply of tiny fish fry. As they grow, they can swallow larger fish and do not have to be fed as frequently.

On one of the lakes on the quarry complex the predominant fish species is the three-spined stickleback.

To save multiple fishing trips, the adult grebes catch four or five sticklebacks and regurgitate them one at a time to feed the chicks. When the chicks are half grown, the adult grebes start teasing them with the fish they bring in to feed them.

The adult will offer the fish to the chick and just as it is about to grab hold, the parent bird plunges its beak under the surface.

The chick then has to dive to get the food. This is the start of the chicks diving and learning to catch their own food.

One thing I have noticed about great crested grebes is that they can swim a lot faster under water than they can on the surface.

The other grebe species on the quarry complex is the little grebe, or dabchick as it used to be called. This species is far more secretive and wary than the great crested grebe.

In the main reedbed I only catch glimpses of them if they move out from cover.

Their nests are always well hidden in the reeds. Being a small bird, their diet of fish is restricted to roach and perch fry and small species such as bullhead and three-spined stickleback.

They tend to have larger broods than great crested grebe and I regularly record five young. Little grebe take advantage of the huge amount of invertebrate life in the lakes, so food is never a problem unless an area freezes over in winter.

Even a large bullhead is a challenge for a little grebe. I once watched one wrestling with a bullhead for five minutes before it managed to subdue the fish and swallow it. Little grebe will also feed on tiny newts.

I see both little grebe and great crested grebe every day when I walk round the lakes and I always find the two species a joy to sit and watch.