Coastal water bird - Northumberland, UK (2 Viewers)

[TomMalcC]

Can anyone identify this water bird from these two rather poor photographs? Taken on a coastal estuary just south of Beadnell, Northumberland.

Taken today, dull wintery showers

My initial thought was a grebe - one of the smaller ones. Any thoughts?

TomC

 

[Prestdj]

slavonian grebe......stout bill and sharp head markings

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello Tom,
do you have more pictures?

I don't have confident features against a Slavonian Grebe and it might well be one, but my first gut feeling was Little Grebe, and if more pictures supports this ID, please note exact shade of the brownish wash to the neck and headsides and the appearantly darkish (not red) eye.
Picture quality (no offense you know) adding to a pitfall picture of a contrasting plumaged Little Grebe at the extrem end of variation for this species.

 

[GMS]

Looks like a Little Grebe to me

 

[Prestdj]

got caught out by the first photo its a little grebe sorry

 

[Owene]

Looks like a Little Grebe to me

Me too

 

[qwerty5]

Bill shape (2nd pic) clearly wrong for Horned (Slavonian) Grebe.