Small, but feisty

This Little Grebe looks rather small and unassuming, but they can be quite feisty if they need to be.  

As you can see this adult has still got plenty of neck colour which shows that it's still wearing its summer plumage.  In the winter, that reddish colour changes to what they field guide describes as buff.  

Buff is one of those words that has a lot of different meanings, and many of them are not that commonly used nowadays.  If I describe someone as looking buff, do I mean that they are a yellowish sandy sort of colour, or am I suggesting that they are in good physical shape with well-developed muscles?  Of course you can be a buff (i.e. and expert) on a particular subject that you are interested in.  You can even give something a good buff (i.e. polish) but perhaps best not to do that when you are sunbathing in the buff unless you want to frighten the horses.

Well the Christmas puds are now prepared, courtesy of the old pressure cooker, and once again the house is full of those tantalising festive aromas.