I always try and improve my photos, there is always room for improvement! With this in mind, I went out to Cockwood on the lower Exe late afternoon to try for a good shot, but more of that later.
First, this morning I was greeted by the sight of no less than 10 Collared Doves in the garden. I am amazed that there are so many. Is it the parents and 7 youngsters? I am pretty certain that Collared Doves, in common with all other Dove and Pigeon species lay two eggs in a clutch and the squabs are male and female. If conditions are right they will lay several clutches in one breeding season and could account for a total of 7 youngsters, but they will have done well to achieve this.
As you may be aware I am in the process of trying to obtain a ringing license which will allow me, legally to trap and ring birds in my garden. When I have all this in place I will be able to identify individual birds. I took this photo of just a few of the flock.

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So with the garden literally full of Doves, it seemed like a good chance to get that close up of a Collared Dove that I have been trying for for ages. Success at last. I am always impressed by the eyes of Collared Doves, so beautifully coloured. I have been trying to capture some shots of eyes of this species for at least a year.
I also discovered today, the difference between adults and youngsters. This first picture is an adult.

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Look for the well marked red eye, colour in the wings and pink/red feet and a Black bill.

These birds, both above and below are adults.

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Now have a good look at this bird below which is a youngster and has a horn coloured bill and as yet,has not such a brightly coloure eye.

So now back to the Slavonian Grebe. I had worked out what was needed to get a good shot. Having watched the Cockwood Slavonian Grebe over the last 12 months or so, on and off, I have noticed his behaviour pattern. You can pretty much predict where he is going to be given the state of the tide. At low tide for example he can usually be found at the end of the long slipway, quite close to the Mussel Farmers moored “landing craft” typw boat. As the tide turns and begins to come in he moves down river to the little bay that is formed between that boat and Governors Slipway. Then at almost full tide he comes inshore to to the little Cockwood Stream down river which forms the entrance to the Cockwood Harbour. Fresh water to drink and and bathe in is the attraction. In the winter the Goldeneye and Mergansers pretty much do the same as well. Light is vitally important in any photography so to get a good close up several factors need to be in place at the same time. High Tide needs to be in the late afternoon because only then is the sun in the correct place, over your shoulder. It needs to be sunny and he needs to be close in without being spooked. Today it looked as though it was all going to come together except, as the tide rose and the sun shone , he was still fishing in the bay way out up stream and I watched him way in the distance with a pipefish, his usual prey! I sat patiently in my hide positioned under the bridge and was relieved to see him make his way towards me as if attracted by a magnet. Well perhaps the fresh water is! I couldn’t believe how quickly he paddled inshore with his feet obviously going like crazy beneath with no effort apparent at all on the surface.
I was getting excited as he got closer and then, still just too far for that really great shot he stopped to bathe and preen. Just a little too far away. He preened and bathed and was then washed down stream slowly and surely out of the cameras reach. Before he did though, I managed one half decent shot of him as he flapped his wings after a good wash!