Aussie Little Grebes breeding south of Rotorua
Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2025 9:17 am
Good morning all,
I just realised that I don't think any post has been made about the Waimangu Valley/Rotomahana Aussie Little Grebe population.
As many will know, there was a small breeding population of these birds on a few lakes in the Rotorua district several decades ago and then the population seemed to dwindle to the points where they were either absent or the only sightings were unconfirmed reports from visiting birders. (Locals will probably know more but this has been my impression since 2015ish).
This past summer however, a pair successfully fledged grebelets near the Rotomahana boatlaunch at the end of the Waimangu Valley geothermal park track. I visited the site around a month ago and there were still at least two birds present (presumably the pair as they were exhibiting courtship behaviour despite being in non-breeding plumage). There were also 60+ dabchicks with some quite distant so more Aussies could be about.
This site requires admission from this company: https://www.waimangu.co.nz/
(Prices vary and you can often get a good discount using the "Book Me" site.)
--Outside of the birds, this park is well worth a visit as it's a gorgeous geothermal area that takes around 2 hours to hike down to the lake, then you can opt to take a boat tour on the lake as well to cruise over the old pink and white terraces site (now buried/covered in water). There is also a fairly active geyser on this tour. ***There is a free shuttle bus for those that wish to get a ride back up the hill--and if you're really lazy you can take the bus both ways (or part way) but check the schedule first.
The grebes tend to be close to the boat launch or tucked back around near the obvious river delta/wetland area where you'll also see plenty of dachick and other expected freshwater birds.
Cheers,
Russ Cannings
I just realised that I don't think any post has been made about the Waimangu Valley/Rotomahana Aussie Little Grebe population.
As many will know, there was a small breeding population of these birds on a few lakes in the Rotorua district several decades ago and then the population seemed to dwindle to the points where they were either absent or the only sightings were unconfirmed reports from visiting birders. (Locals will probably know more but this has been my impression since 2015ish).
This past summer however, a pair successfully fledged grebelets near the Rotomahana boatlaunch at the end of the Waimangu Valley geothermal park track. I visited the site around a month ago and there were still at least two birds present (presumably the pair as they were exhibiting courtship behaviour despite being in non-breeding plumage). There were also 60+ dabchicks with some quite distant so more Aussies could be about.
This site requires admission from this company: https://www.waimangu.co.nz/
(Prices vary and you can often get a good discount using the "Book Me" site.)
--Outside of the birds, this park is well worth a visit as it's a gorgeous geothermal area that takes around 2 hours to hike down to the lake, then you can opt to take a boat tour on the lake as well to cruise over the old pink and white terraces site (now buried/covered in water). There is also a fairly active geyser on this tour. ***There is a free shuttle bus for those that wish to get a ride back up the hill--and if you're really lazy you can take the bus both ways (or part way) but check the schedule first.
The grebes tend to be close to the boat launch or tucked back around near the obvious river delta/wetland area where you'll also see plenty of dachick and other expected freshwater birds.
Cheers,
Russ Cannings