Mom and baby

A few months ago, I made several drives SW of the city to visit this nesting Red-necked Grebe. Each time i went, I was keeping my fingers crossed that maybe I would see her carrying some new babies on her back. No sign of anything at all - and then, on 19 July 2013, I noticed the female's feathers looked a little puffed up. Out came a beautiful little one, struggling to climb over the sticks of the nest. Eventually, it climbed on to its mother's back and nestled down into the feathers on her back. The Grebe babies are so delightful, with the black and white stripes on their head and pink face markings. I returned in the next while, hoping to see more than one, but neither of the other two eggs hatched and they were still there in the nest many weeks later. I suspect Alberta's Flood of the Century may have had something to do with this.