Great Crested Grebe - Podiceps cristatu
Canon 600mm f5.6 for 1/4000th @ iso400
To watch some video of the Great Crested Grebes click here.
The "Humbugs" being fed feathers, this starts from the moment the chicks are hatched and there is a reason for it, it is not a food supplement it is for stomach padding. The feathers form a padding in the stomach and protects the stomach lining from being pierced by fish bones and the hard shell cases of aquatic insects. In addition to this stomach protection the feathers also slow down digestion which ensures the birds can safely digest the hard exoskeletons.
Like Owls and Kingfishers the indigestible parts are compacted into a ball with the feathers and coughed up.
To watch some video of the Great Crested Grebes click here.
The "Humbugs" being fed feathers, this starts from the moment the chicks are hatched and there is a reason for it, it is not a food supplement it is for stomach padding. The feathers form a padding in the stomach and protects the stomach lining from being pierced by fish bones and the hard shell cases of aquatic insects. In addition to this stomach protection the feathers also slow down digestion which ensures the birds can safely digest the hard exoskeletons.
Like Owls and Kingfishers the indigestible parts are compacted into a ball with the feathers and coughed up.