Crested grebes need refuges

Forest and Bird, Issue 293, 1 August 1999, Page 6

Crested grebes need refuges

eclining numbers of Australasian crested grebe on high-country lakes in the South Island has led to a Forest and Bird request for their further protection on Lake Pearson in inland North Canterbury. The Society has asked for the lake to be protected as a Wildlife Refuge. The proposal has the support ‘in principle’ of the Minister of Conservation, Dr Nick Smith, but he says there must be a process of public consultation first. Blame for the decline in crested grebe numbers is directed at motor-boating and jet-skiing, both of which disturb the birds and swamp their waterside nests. The noise of engines can also disturb grebes, causing them to leave the nest without covering their eggs with vegetation, making them more vulnerable to predators. Boat speed

regulations are widely flouted. Prior to 1980, Australasian crested grebe were thought to live on more than 100 South Island lakes. A survey in that year located them on only 50 waters. Their population now has fallen to between 200 and 300 birds. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has classified the Australasian crested grebe as ‘vulnerable to extinction’ in New Zealand. Lake Pearson is the largest of a group of small lakes in the Waimakariri Basin, formed as a result of glaciation during the last Ice Age. Australasian crested grebe feed on the group of lakes, but Lake Pearson is the most significant for breeding; around seven pairs have previously bred there each year. Ironically, it seems that introduced willows may provide protection for the birds from the

strong winds and waves during northwesterly storms. Use of the lake by motorboats and jet-skis has increased dramatically over the last three years. The honorary launch warden Gavin Willis, a

fisherman who has visited the lake over many years, is concerned that overcrowding has become a safety issue. The increased traffic is certainly not helping the birds. Source: Geoff Keey