I had the opportunity to find a red-necked grebe nest this summer and was able to get some good shots when the chicks first hatched. There was a 3rd egg but a strong windstorm with waves on the lake destroyed the nest and I assume sunk the 3rd egg. Unfortunately that event also brought my ideal shooting location of a nest 2meters off shore to an end and the grebes took to the middle of the lake too far for even 1920mm. Here is one from the first couple days when they stayed close to the nest and shore.
This was shot in natural light, Manual exposure, Canon 7D2, 600 f/4 IS II + 1.4TCIII at 840mm, f/11, 1/500, ISO 640
A superb close study here Geoff. The chick is adorable and the image has shed loads of interest. It is sad that an egg was lost. I have never had luck getting close to RNG in breeding plumage but have been very close to non breeding plumage birds.
Thanks you Adrian and Keith for taking the time to leave a comment. Much appreciated. I'm just glad I was lucky enough to find this nest and have two great mornings photographing it and the young chicks before it was lost. Good news is that the two chicks are still going strong at the lake.
That little guy is oh-so cute!! I love its curious posture. The adult looks great too, with only a better head angle that could have improved on it. It is a strong image, but just a couple of suggestions if I may: try to reduce the sheen on the lower mandible, perhaps a wee bit of CCW rotation, and a bit more canvas all around. Still quite a strong image, and a sweet opportunity that you fully took advantage of.
Red-necked Grebe and chicks
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