Grebes courtship ritual in Surrey
SURREY ADORABLE images of two Great Crested Grebes engrossed in their courtship dance were captured at Surrey.
The two lovebirds performed an elaborate head-bobbing and weaving dance around each other while swimming in Surrey’s Tarn Pond.
Their courtship dance generally includes synchronised swimming, preening, and 'the weed dance', in which the pair holds tufts of water weed in their bills and paddles.
These lovely images were captured by British wildlife photographer Jon Hawkins (62) from Surrey.
“I waited years to get the shot of them rising up during the ‘weed dance’,” he said.
“On this particular day, it happened after about two hours in the right spot at the right time for the light and mist.
“Grebes are such beautiful birds with so much personality, and this courtship dance of theirs is so elaborate and elegant that I couldn’t help but just revel in this moment.”
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