WAYS OF THE WILD.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 38, 14 February 1931, Page 1 (Supplement)

WAYS OF THE WILD.

NEW ZEALAND'S GREBES.

HABITS AND HABITATION.

(By A. T. PYCROFT.)

When motoring along the shores of Lake Rotoiti recently in the vicinity of the Okere Falls I saw a small grebe, or dabchick. This bird is generally distributed throughout New Zealand, but is the first I have seen for many years. At one time it was a familiar bird to me when I resided in the Kaipara district, and on several occasions on summer days I have hidden myself in scrub or sedge, at the edge of a small lake where I have watched this expert diver. I have also seen it swimming beneath the water, its wings sometimes tightly pressed to its sides and sometimes partially open, and its powerful feet used ;for propulsion. The grebes, from the French Grebe, a crest, so called in allusion to the crest of one species, are swimming birds, and divers of the family podicipidae. Birds of the genus podiceps have straight, sharp-pointed bills, which, are either long or short. . The toes are lobed and united at. the base. There are about twenty species'of grebes dis-. tributed over the whole world. New Zealand possesses two species. The larger is a sub-species known as the crested grebe. There are live sub-species, each inhabiting one of the-land masses of the eastern hemisphere. The total length, of the crested grebe is twentytwo inches and of the -little grebe, or dabchick, twelve inches. The plumage' of these birds is of a beautifully soft and silky texture. That of the crested grebe is coloured on the upper parts, blackish brown, slightly glossed ~ with green, the under parts being silvery white, stained on the sides with chestnut. The female is similar in plumage and both birds are adorned by a ruff, and crest, composed of soft filamentous plumes nearly two inches in length. The crested grebe is found in Central and Southern Europe and Asia, as far east as Japan. It is also found in Africa,, Australia and Tasmania. In New Zealand it was formerly found _on Lakes Waikaremoana and Waikareiti, but I have no recent record that it is still to be found on either of these lakes. It-is, however, to be met with on many of the South Island lakes, being commoner in the southern part of the island. Unlike the dabchick, which is more or less gregarious, .the cfested grebe seems to love seclusion, being generally met with singly or in pairs. It is a striking object on the water and swims with much grace, and when two of them are associated or feeding together they have a pretty habit of meeting each other after each dive and touching bills as if' in token of their mutual confidence. Breeding Habits. The late Mr. Travers states that the crested grebe was found at all seasons of the year upon Lake Guyon, a small lake in the Nelson Province, lying close. Under the Spencer Mountains range/ The water of this-lake is generally very warm, and even in severe seasons has never been frozen over. To this fact' 1 Travers' attributes the circumstance that grebes are to be found upon ib throughout the' year. There 1 were several apparently 'permanent nests on the 1 borders of the lake, which have been 1 occupied by . pairs of birds for many yeai:s. in succession, from which Travers was led to infer that these birds pair, for life. These nests are built amongst • the twiggy branches of trees which have' fallen from the' banks of the lake, and now lie half floating in its waters, and are formed of irregularly laid masses of various species of pond weeds found growing in the lake, and which the birds obtain by diving. The nests are but' little raised above the surface of the water. Both the male and female grebe assist in the labour of incubation, although Travers believes that the chief part of this task devolves upon the female, and that she is only relieved by her partner for the purpose of enabling her to feed. Before the actual work of incubation commences, the eggs are usually covered with pond weed, during the absence of the birds from the nest, but afterwards the, nest is seldom, if ever, left by. both birds, except under unusual circumstances. The New Zealand bird, as might be expected from its more recent contact with civilised man, is far less shy than the European one, and easily discriminates between persons who may be dangerous and those who are not. Some childrefa frequently visited the nests during the progress of incubation, and as they have never injured the nests, or eggs, or interfered mischievously with the birds themselves, they are allowed to approach quite close without the birds thinking it necessary to quit the nests. When the water of the lake is rising in consequence of heavy rain, the birds are seen busily engaged in procuring material and building up the nest so as to raise the eggs above the reach of the flood. This added material is afterwards spread out after the water subsides, but on some rare occasions the rise of the lake has been so great and so rapid that the birds having been unable to meet it, the eggs have become addled. Dabchick's Amazing Quickness. Unless taken by surprise the dabchick will effectually dodge the gun by disappearing under the surface at the first flash, and before the shot has reached it. It is capable of remaining under water a considerable time, and can submerge the body, leaving only the bill and nostrils exposed. When hunting for its food, which consists of small mollusca, among the aquatic plants at the bottom of the lake, it usually remains- under about twenty seconds, and then rises to the surface for an interval of seven seconds. It flies with difficulty, and only for a short distance, skimming the surface with a very laboured flapping of its little wings. The form of its body and the laminated structure of its feet are admirably adapted to its subaqueous performances. It utters, at intervals, a peculiar sibilant note, from which it derives its native name of Weweia. The dabchick and crested grebe are protected birds. Some years ago before these birds were protected, the sight of an inoffensive dabchick in a poulterer's shop drew from the vigorous pen of Mr. Edward Wakefield a very pathetic appeal, concluding thus: "Anyone who deliberately slaughters a dabchick, must surely be of that ruthless quality which would have achieved for him a distinquished position in the service of Herod the King. To all sportsmen, and to all colonists, .whether sportsmen or not, we would say, spare poor little, defenceless, inoffensive dabchicks. Have the manlihess to deny yourself a moment's selfish excitement, for the sake of helping to prolong the existence of any of those few races of God's dear creatures which we found in possession of New Zealand wheii first we intruded ourselves upon its solitudes. 5 '