On 12th April 2021, the long-standing “stay local” restrictions on travel were lifted and shortly afterwards I made the momentous trip to …. Billericay …. just 4.5 miles from home by bus.
Nonetheless, it was a trip away from my SS15 postcode area and my local patch sites. I specifically visited Lake Meadows in Billericay in the hope of seeing and photographing Great Crested Grebes, a species that is absent for some reason from the lakes at Gloucester Park, one of my local patch sites.
After walking the short distance from the bus stop at Billericay railway station, I had a short walk around the lake at the centre of Lake Meadows and failed to see a Great Crested Grebe, let alone find the nest.
However, just as I was on the point of giving up, I noticed a single Great Crested Grebe out on the lake which slowly swam towards a small island where another bird was sitting on a nest.
I continued to watch the first bird, which I think was the male, for a considerable period of time as it either dived for food or brought in material to top up the nest. Later on, the bird on the nest joined the other in the water and, following a brief bonding display between both birds, there was a change over and the first bird assumed nest-sitting duties.
The Great Crested Grebe is a beautiful bird, particularly during the breeding season when both sexes have their head plumes. During my visit to Lake Meadows, I took a lot of photos and I have featured the best of these below.
In addition to the pair of nesting Great Crested Grebes, small numbers of other water birds (Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, Canada Goose and Egyptian Goose) were very conspicuous and easy to photograph.
I recorded 21 species of other birds of which the most notable were Nuthatch (heard repeatedly calling but not seen), 2 Greenfinches, 1 Goldcrest, 2 singing Blackcaps and 1 singing Chiffchaff.
Here are some photos of the pair of nesting Great Crested Grebes (try and ignore the disgusting plastic littering) ….
Photo: Moorhen
Photo: Moorhen
Photo: Moorhen
Photo: Moorhen
Photo: Moorhen
Photo: Moorhen
Photo: Coot
Photo: Coot
Photo: Coot
Photo: male Mallard
Photo: female Mallard
Photo: Egyptian Goose
Photo: Canada Goose
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