Underbarn, Portland Harbour
Sunday January 14th 2018
This year the black-necked grebes in Portland Harbour have been scattered around in small groups, instead of collecting together off Sandsfoot Castle as they normally do. But one or two have taken to feeding just off the beach at Underbarn, allowing for the closest views that I have ever had of this species. Here one is seen in the company of great crested grebes.
While I was filming this bird I could just make out that it had caught something long and thin. Back home I could see that the bird had in fact caught a pipefish, a close relative of the seahorse. This one looks pretty small, so is most likely a worm pipefish, a species I know is common in the eel-grass beds here.
It is more common to see the very similar slavonian grebe this close in to the shore here. A few years ago I made this video of a group of slavonians from just a bit further along the beach towards the Castle.