Great Crested Grebe
A common sight at Chard reservoir around the year. This reservoir is known as a stronghold for Somerset breeding Great Crested Grebe, but numbers of breeding pairs vary year to year from 0 to 9. They first colonized the reservoir around 1910. Most of the early records were submitted by Col. J.W. Gifford.
1920 - 2 pairs.
1923 - 5 pairs.
No records or information received during 1924 & 1925.
1926 - 'Many' pairs bred.
1927 - Maximum count of 14 birds, some juveniles hatched this year.
1928 - At least 5 pairs bred.
23/05/28 - Maximum count of 22 birds.
1930 - 6 pairs bred.
1931 - No breeding due to reservoir being drained.
20/03/32 - Pair present but gone by 03/05.
1933 - Pair bred.
1935 - Pair seen but no proof of breeding.
26/04/38 - 4 pairs, but no birds after 05/05.
1939 - 2 pairs bred.
1940 - 5 pairs reported.
21/04/41 - Maximum count of 18 birds. 2 or 3 pairs bred during 1941.
1942 - 4 pairs bred.
1943 - At least 2 pairs bred.
No records between 1944 & 1956.
Reservoir drained in 1947.
19/04/57 - Nest with 2 eggs. 1st breeding record for at least 7 years, although sadly unsuccessful.
1959 - Pair raised young. 1st successful breeding for 8 years.
16/06/60 - 3 pairs bred. At least 4 young seen.
1962 - 2 pairs bred successfully, up to 6 present at various dates.
27/10/63 - Maximum count of 10 birds. 3 pairs bred this year.
08/10/64 - Maximum count of 21 birds. At least 5 pairs bred this year & up to 10 young reared.
24/08/65 - Maximum count of 30 birds. 5 or 6 pairs bred & up to 15 young seen.
31/03/66 - Maximum count of 22 birds.
27/07/66 - Bred with some 16 juveniles seen.
1967 - At least 13 or 14 pairs with a record 21 juveniles seen.
17/03/68 - 21 pairs seen by this date, with 7 nests but oil pollution resulted in a lower count of offspring than previous year.
09/02/69 - Maximum count of 39 birds. Grebe numbers present throughout the year but no breeding due to pollution.
19/03/70 - 11 breeding pairs by this date. Up to 14 juveniles seen.
10/09/70 - Maximum count of 45 birds.
14/03/71 - Maximum count of 27 birds. 6 juveniles seen this year.
13/04/72 - Maximum count of 14 birds. Only 1 juvenile seen this year.
18/02/73 - Maximum count of 32 birds. No breeding this year.
1974 - Up to 15 birds by March & April but no breeding took place.
??/01/75 - Maximum count of 8 birds. Did not breed this year.
1976 - No information in local reports for this year but the severe drought spelt bad news for the Grebe.
1977 - Single pair bred.
23/08/78 - Maximum count of 36 birds. 5 pairs bresd successfully this year.
16/09/79 - Maximum count of a staggering 63 birds. At least 6 pairs bred this year, with 17 young raised.
19/10/80 - Maximum count of 26 birds. No breeding this year.
1981 - 5 pairs in May & June but no breeding took place.
1982 - 6 pairs remained throughout the summer months but no breeding took place.
18/09/83 - Maximum count of 26 birds. Successful breeding this year with 7 young raised.
1984 - Successful breeding. 28 young raised.
22/03/85 - Maximum count of 18 birds. No breeding this year (?).
05/08/86 - Maximum count of 34 birds. 9 young were raised this year.
1987 - Pair in April.
22/08/88 - Maximum count of 18 birds. No breeding this year (?).
03/09/89 - Maximum count of 20 birds. Breeding this year resulted in 2 young.
15/02/92 - Pair on nest, but later flooded. 4 young were raised by 2 pairs this year.
06/03/92 - maximum count of 23 birds.
18/02/93 - Maximum count of 28 birds. A breeding pair raised a single young.
28/12/94 - Maximum count of 17 birds. 3 pairs bred, raising 7 young.
21/03/95 - Maximum count of 30 birds. 4 pairs bred, raising 10 young.
15/11/96 - Maximum count of 46 birds. 4 pairs bred, raising at least 9 young.
24/12/97 - Maximum count of 49 birds. 11 pairs bred but raised a disappointing 11 young.
04/01/98 - Maximum count of 54 birds. 1 pair raised 1 young. Several nests were flooded in June.
16/11/98 - 43 birds.
09/12/98 - 49 birds.
16/01/99 - 36 birds. No breeding recorded.
27/10/99 - 36 birds
27/11/99 - 41 birds.
05/12/99 - Maximum count of 48 birds.
16/08/00 - 3 pairs with 7 chicks.
02/12/00 - max count 48
16/07/01 - 8 young, probably 4 successful pairs
14/12/01 - Max count of 49 birds on 3 dates in December
18/02/02 - Max count 30 this year
09/06/02 - 5 pairs but no young seen this year.
2003 - Probably 13 young hatched altogether but many disappeared at a young age
29/11/03 - max count of 52 birds and again on 06/12
01/01/04 - max count of 51 with high of 48 nearly a year later on 17/12/04
24/07/04 - 7 juveniles
08/01/05 - 55 birds rising to 60 on 30/01. Despite these big winter numbers and hardly fewer than 20 birds during the summer, no reports of nesting this year.
28/12/05 - 57 birds
07/01/06 - 50 birds reducing to about 20 over the summer
23/11/06 - 45 birds
16/07/07 - Chicks from the 9th pair this summer took to the water today
26/07/07 - 16 juveniles present
17/09/07 - 45 birds