Young waterfowl in Rapperswil

The castle of Rapperswil and the shoreline.

After a cold and wet springtime we got a hot and sunny summer. A lot of baby birds died due the uncommon spring conditions, so some birds tried to do a second clutch. Today, when I wrote these lines, it’s the 26. August. At the moment it’s still warm and sometimes even hot, but autumn is near and there are still small chicks around. I spent an afternoon at the shore of Rapperswil and took some photos of the waterfowl. Please read more under the cut.

In Rapperswil I saw a lot of bald coots and great crested grebes with their chicks. Some of them were still pretty small for that time. I really hope that they will grow up fast, so they survive winter.
The adult birds were looking for food non-stop, because their children were hungry. The little bald coots were begging and peeping all the time. It was cute but gets annoying after some time.

The voice from the chicks of the great crested grebe was pretty annoying, too. They act a bit nervous and as soon one parent came to the surface after diving for food it speeded to its momma (or daddy) and peeped like crazy. What a glutton!

But it was cute, too. Look at that youngster, it isn’t that small anymore. It even dived for food by its own, but wasn’t successful. I really like the black stripes on the head and neck.

I wish you the best, my little sweet waterfowl chicks!