The last several months I have spent time observing and photographing a dabchick (NZ grebe) family at our local Virginia Lake in Whanganui. Two chicks were seen at first, but only one survived, and for a good time rode on the parents back. They seemed to mostly feed on small fish, of which there was an abundance judging by the number these birds caught. Most people aren't familiar with this species, as so many people asked me what I was photographing and when I told them, they were not aware of them. After the first brood, they began again a courtship phase which was special to observe, with the adults swimming around each other and swapping a small fish between them more than ten times. They mated twice within ten minutes. It was great to be able to video and photograph the whole sequence. I wait now to see if they end up producing more chicks.
