Funada-ike in Ecology Park

A pair of Little Grebes (Kaitsuburiカイツブリ) laid 5 eggs and 4 chicks have been growing rapidly. (one egg went missing...)

They followed their parent and ventured out at the other end of the lake.

When a parent dived to hunt, they looked lost! Where's mummy?

When one of the parents was with the chicks, the other had no time to waste, cleaning himself and preening.

They bumped each other when they reunited and called loudly.

Then, they went into the reedbed where their nest was.

The chicks were always staying close together and paddling back to the reedbed.

And disappeared among the reeds.

We wanted to catch a glimpse of the chicks sitting on their parent's back but they have grown far too big for that. Little Grebes breed in the lake every year, so we were told, but many of the eggs and chicks are usually taken by predators, mainly by snakes. These chicks have grown quite big now so hopefully they will survive at least till they become independent.

There were 2 Grey Herons (Aosagiアオサギ) in a dead tree by the lake, resting in the sun.

A juvenile was really active along the edge of the lake, trying to catch something but no success... keep at it!