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Australasian Grebes (in breeding plumage)
Tachybaptus novaehollandiae novaehollandiae
-28.6628, 151.937
Field Notes
Description:
The Australasian grebe (Tachybaptus novaehollandiae) is a small waterbird common on fresh water lakes and rivers in greater Australia, New Zealand, and on nearby Pacific islands. At 25–27 cm (9.8–10.6 in) in length, it is one of the smallest members of the grebe family. There are six subspecies of Tachybaptus novaehollandiae. The birds in this spotting are in breeding plumage (both links provide plenty of information on this). They are excellent swimmers and divers, and usually dive immediately when alarmed. Food consists mainly of small fish and water insects that are caught during deep underwater dives, but some prey is also taken on the surface. An interesting fact: Grebes eat their own feathers and feed them to their young to prevent injury when swallowing fish bones. True story :)
Habitat:
Spotted on the freshwater Quart Pot Creek pond, in the township of Stanthorpe, SEQ. Despite the drought, there was still sufficient clean water in the creek and ponds. Water levels were quite low, but not so low that the birds couldn't dive and feed, and remain in the area to breed.
Notes:
I don't have a DSLR with a Hubble Telescope lens, so many bird species have eluded me, particular the little grebes. They are usually very shy birds, and in my photos they end up being nothing more than a dot. Needless to say, I was delighted to spot this little group and get some semi-decent photos. There were eight birds in all, which is more than any other encounter I have ever had. At first I thought they were dusky moorhen chicks (Gallinula tenebrosa) as there were two adult birds swimming with them, but it wasn't until the little birds started to dive that I realised I had something different. They were still wary of me and kept a respectable distance, but nothing like my previous "dot" encounters.
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