A parent Eurasian coot (Fulica atra) and 2 cooties (google says that's what they are called) swimming in a pond, the parent is fishing up plants and small bugs that it feeds to its babies.

A family of coots, 2 parents and 6 cooties.

Parent coot about to dive while the young ones pay close attention.

How coot!
I had never seen little #cootlings before (is that what they're called?)
Slowly going through last weekend's photos and trying to filter out the best ones, these from my last short walk in the park.
🪶 #birds #birdphotography #coot #meerkoet #cooties #spring #waterwingebied #Amersfoort

A male and female coot on a nest in a canal. One parent is sitting on the nest, the other is drifting in the water. They have 3 little cootlings on their nest, their heads are still a fiery red, with yellow feathers leading to their little stubby wings.

Along the canal the coots would often build a nest. At work this gave us lots of entertainment when standing outside for a break. Cootlings are tiny, and hard to photograph without a long lens.

Canon 7D, 70-200 2.8L IS USM at f/3.5, 1/2000s, ISO 400

#birds #waterfowl #coots #cootlings #photography