Less than Half a Nest

I was not surprised that the grebes seem to have lost a large proportion of their nest following the sharp showers we've been having. There's barely enough left to support the bird and her eggs. This is the female. The male was just offshore. I waited to see if they would change over but I think they were loath to move because both Basil and I were watching. Compare with this shot from 26th May.

Basil was very prone to chasing the ducks today and he was quite evidently fancying the grebes.

After a dull start it became brighter. The temperature was pleasant.

A fisherman who started caressing Basil told me that an osprey had visited the reservoir on the day that it opened following lifting of lockdown restrictions, plunged into the water and taken a large roach. He also came the next day. I would love to see something like that. The osprey could well have come from Rutland Water. Ospreys have a large hunting range.