Little Grebe photographed at Reservoir [RES] on 6/12/2014 Photo: © Anthony Loaring (visit site)

The Little Grebe is a regular winter visitor and can often be found at the Reservoir, in the fresh/brackish water reserves or in the northern quarries. These sites provide the birds with aquatic vegetation and their invertebrate prey. Traditionally regarded as sedentary in the UK, birds arrive in the islands from August onwards. The highest numbers tend to be reported from October onwards. There are very few ringing recoveries of birds even in the UK and these tend to be from the near continent rather than further East.

Cecil Smith noted freshly killed specimens in the market in November but never saw a live bird. Dobson included several reports including a nest at La Mare de Carteret in 1949. They were proved breeding at La Houge Pere quarry in 1982 and the presence of single summering birds at the reservoir in the late nineties have been a precursor of future breeding attempts in the period 2000-2010 at the Reservoir. There are a number of private quarries in the north of the island which may harbour breeding birds but access is difficult. Their secretive habits also makes censusing particularly difficult. The species breeds across Normandy and is present down the whole west coast of the Cotentin peninsula.

Although primarily a freshwater species birds do occur close offshore including Grandes Havres and the Town Harbour area. In a typical winter between ten and fifteen birds will be present in the Island.