Crested Grebe preening....

I went out this morning playing with my long lens....takes a bit of getting used to. This is an adult Crested Grebe with a chick. If you look carefully the chick is eating a feather.When preening, grebes eat their own feathers, and feed them to their young. The function of this behaviour is uncertain but it is believed to assist with pellet formation, and to reduce their vulnerability to gastric parasites. They have grown so fast.