ML265158741

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

seen halfway along the far canal wall as I walked to the sluice gate. First impressions were of a strikingly pale bird low in the water, a profile which immediately shouted 'diver'; it was the wrong shape & size & too late in the year for a pale winter great-crested grebe - the two I'd seen earlier were in full summer plumage. Although it kept an eye on me it serenely floated up & down the same stretch of water allowing excellent views; its bill was always upturned & dark, almost black & its back was dark, with fine cream spots. Although there was no white visible on its flanks, as it shifted in the water it was nonetheless obvious that it was white underneath. Taking all this into consideration & after using the field guide I had to hand, it fitted most closely with a red-necked diver & subsequent reference confirmed it. Its dark bill I put down to its moulting into summer plumage. A completely unexpected & fantastic life-tick - my first diver anywhere. I reluctantly moved further on & reached the sluice gates before heading back. By this point a passing boat had disturbed the diver, but it soon reappeared from beneath the water only to resume diving with an elegant leap as it re-submerged itself. It moved further away from me amongst several geese so I moved on.

Technical information

Model

Canon PowerShot A590 IS

Lens

5.8-23.2 mm

ISO

80

Focal length

19.6 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/5.0

Shutter speed

1/500 sec

Dimensions

3264 pixels x 2448 pixels

Original file size

4.03 MB