Wanaka Sun: ‘Lake Hāwea has two new residents!’ - Grebes
Photo credit: John Langley
Written by Pat Deavoll, Wanaka Sun
26 November 2020
For a long as retired zoologist John Darby can remember there has not been a successful breeding pair of crested grebes on Lake Hāwea. But now there is!
The pair have laid two eggs.
“I have been aware that grebes have attempted to breed here in the past. But they have always failed because of the conditions that prevail on the lake,” Darby said.
“This would be the first to breed successfully if they do so.”
They have a very complex lifecycle, Darby said.
“They can barely walk on land which is a big problem and so as an escape mechanism they build a floating nest, usually under willow trees. The reason for that is that they brood their chicks on their back, not underneath them. Within an hour of the chicks hatching they will climb onto the back of the adult. It is an anti-predator strategy. It is the only bird I know that can physically remove its chicks from danger.”
