Great Crested Grebe - Podiceps cristatus
Pictures by Ray Tipper - More about Ray...
More about Ray Tipper
Ray Tipper began his birding on the North Kent Marshes at the age if eleven. He left his native Britain in 1973 spending most of the next 22 years in Hong Kong. As a trustee of WWF he was intimately involved with its renowned Mai Po Nature Reserve. It was in Hong Kong that Ray turned to bird photography, which quickly became his major interest. He gained associateship of the Royal Photographic Society in 1990, and his photographs appear in journals and books throughout the world. Ray guides specialist birdwatching and bird photography tours and since 1997 has led more than 100 tours in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and Madagascar. He now lives in the Algarve, where his intimate knowledge of its birds has been recognised by his appointment as Chairman of the Portuguese Rarities Committee.
Great Crested Grebe - juvenile
The Great Crested Grebe will forever be associated with what is now the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. The millinery trade’s demand in the late 19th century for its stunning head plumes brought the species close to extinction in the U.K. and led to the formation of a charitable organization whose aim was to end the killing of birds for the use of their feathers to decorate hats.
Great Crested Grebe - 1st winter. Lagoa de São Louenço
In the Algarve, the Great Crested Grebe is scarce. One or two pairs usually breed at Lagoa de São Lourenço and can be seen there and on the Ribeira de São Lourenço at Ludo in winter. Several winter on the Esteiro da Carrasqueira on the eastern side of Cerro do Bufo, Castro Marim nature reserve and there is a distinct passage of birds spread over both sites when up to 20 gather for a week or so in September.
Great Crested Grebe - adult breeding. Lagoa de São Lourenço
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