The Little Grebe is a small diving duck, which is surprisingly common at Gibside. The Little Grebe not only spends a lot of time in the reeds, but seems to spend a long time underwater and when it surfaces it's in a completely different place! It is less than a foot long. and the main photos here show a juvenile/winter plumage.
In summer plumage, you can tell it's a little grebe by the chestnut neck and the characteristic bright patch on the base of its bill. The one below was seen in the Autumn, but still shows some of the summer colours
