Lake McGregor

Lake McGregor is a little willow-fringed piece of paradise which is wedged between Lake Alexandrina and the western shore of Lake Tekapo. We discovered it after a short drive following a trip to the Mount John observatory and I managed to flatten a battery and fill a memory card with birds. The main subjects were a pair of Crested Grebes who were feeding two large juveniles whose constant peeping for food initially drew our attention. The lake supports a population of mainly Brown Trout but the birds seemed to be catching native Galaxiids. Edin and I made another trip later in the week and spent another couple of hours on the moss cushioned shore watching the Grebes, Swallows, Shovellers, Fantails and Grey Warblers amongst others.

Juvenile taking a fish from the adult
Juvenile taking a Galaxiid from the adult
Adult Crested Grebe
Adult Crested Grebe
Juvenile Crested Grebe waiting for the adult to return with a fish
Juvenile Crested Grebe waiting for the adult to return with a fish
Shovellers filter feeding in the surface layer of the lake
Shovellers filter feeding in the surface layer of the lake
Fantail
Fantail

There is a basic campsite which would be pleasant if campervanning but it is only a short drive if based in Tekapo.

Looking accross Lake McGregor toward the Southern Alps
Looking accross Lake McGregor toward the Southern Alps

All bird photos with Nikon D810 and 500mm f4 lens with 1.4x teleconverter using a monopod. Lake McGregor photo with Fuji X100s.

 

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