Great Crested Grebe

We managed to find an hour in between the showers, sleet and hail to go for a short walk. I wanted to check on the progress of the great crested grebes at Phoenix Park, so off we went. It was way colder than I expected and when the heavens opened, it was hailstones rather than rain that we got caught in. At least it just bounces straight off :) 

The grebes have built their nest and have one egg (so far), so within the month we should be seeing at least one little humbug. They normally lay 3-5 eggs that take 25-30 days to hatch, so there is still a possibility that they might lay some more. I don't know how long this one has been there. When we arrived, the bird on the nest, hopped off but stayed very close by. I lost sight of the pair for few seconds so don't know if the same bird settled back down to incubate the eggs or if they swapped over. I'm not sure if both parents are responsible for the incubation or just the female.  Fingers crossed they are successful parents and we soon get to see the little chicks.