The Amazing Lives of Great Crested Grebes

Directed by Peter J Durnall AACI

2024

A niche documentary arrives in the Midlands this month with a deep dive into the world of one of the UK’s most interesting and distinctive freshwater birds.

The Amazing Lives of Great Crested Grebes comes from Peter Durnall, an amateur filmmaker who has been making wildlife films for over a decade.

The 15-minute documentary was filmed over 9 months in Staffordshire and is narrated by Geraldine Outhwaite who gives some much required context as we begin our nature journey during the month of February.

We are told the birds pair together for just one season and the voiceover provides the appropriate background about nesting and the bird’s territory.

We are also informed the (now protected) birds were hunted almost to extinction as their head plumes were used to decorate ladies' hats and garments.

Its slow and subtle pace accurately and excellently reflects the natural world we are observing and echoes the patience needed to view and study such animals in detail.

As a documentary, the short definitely fills out the casual viewer’s knowledge of a quite obscure part of the British wildlife. What could do with some improvement however is the story wrapped around it. 

The voiceover is quite dry and unfortunately brings attention to how well David Attenborough’s wildlife shows cleverly weave a narrative alongside footage. Sometimes even anthropomorphising different creatures to make them relatable.

As it is, the documentary continues with some sweet sequences of “humbugs” (the grebe’s chicks) and how they ride on their parent’s back before fleeing the nest to care for themselves. And it goes on to take a measured look at their lives as we go through each month of the year.

In the end, you’ve got to admire the film’s efforts to get the footage and kudos should go to the filmmaker’s hard work as these documentaries must be incredibly difficult to create. Much enjoyment may depend on your interest in the subject matter, yet for the passing fan it doesn’t quite bring the birds or their stories alive. However, as a mellow and composed exploration at a particular aspect of British wildlife, it provides an informative look at the filmmaker’s passions.

★★½

2.5 / 5

Mike Sales