It seems to be a good year for breeding GREAT CRESTED GREBES on the pits, with one brood of 3, two further pairs nesting, and another pair idle. However an earlier pair and brood has gone missing, with just one single bird present in that area. That' the problem, in the four years I have been visiting the area I have never noticed a single chick fledged, despite the fact that it is a common species.
I don't know whether it is species control - these pits are heavily managed for fishing - as grebes are fish eaters. But that doesn't explain why they are allowed to nest in the first place. Maybe there are stocked fish big enough to eat the chicks. Or maybe the birds here are just lousy parents. I don't think I'll ever know.
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