What’s cuter than a baby grebe?

FOUR BABY GREBES!

This is high up on the list of favourite wildlife encounters of the year. Sitting on the shore of Lake Wanaka in the fading light, these two Australasian Crested Grebes fed their hungry little chicks in the water just in front of us. The male was carrying them initially, but soon shook off the babies and swapped out with the mother, who is carrying them in these photos. We could see him dive for fish under the clear waters – often just along the shoreline in front of us.

The wind was chill, and the chicks would huddle under mum’s feathers until dad resurfaced. When food was offered, they sometimes got a little too enthusiastic in vying for it!

And sometimes their siblings got out of hand, or they were just a little bit clumsy.

From butt-fluff to head-tufts, Australasian Crested Grebes are one of my favourite birds. While normally quite elusive and shy, the ones in Wanaka are habituated to human presence as they nest in the marina. Being able to observe them at such a close range was a real privilege, and being able to get such close photographs was a joy.

Living in such close proximity to a number of other Grebe families can have its downsides though. If you stray too close to another pairs nest during foraging, things can get a bit heated!

It was amazing to see this all unfold, just watching from the shore. Definitely a highlight of our trip down South!