As mentioned in my post on Hoary-headed Grebe, New Zealand Dabchick are rare in the South Island having become extinct in the 1940s. Recently some have begun to re-establish the population and we were lucky to see one at Lake Elterwater just south of Blenheim. Dabchick distribution on the North Island can be patchy but they are relatively common on the volcanic plateau, Rotorua Lakes, Northland, Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa.

Living in Rotorua they are are often seen and seem significantly more abundant than I remember 25 years ago. As a result i am lucky to get relatively regular opportunities to photograph them. They remain challenging though as they are small and quite wary. I am currently working on a project to improve opportunities and will share more on this as it progresses but have recently had some fun from the jetty at Lake Okareka.

For more information on our endemic representative of the Poliocephalus genus see the nzbirdsonline entry for New Zealand Dabchick.

All photos with Nikon D500 and Nikon 500mm f4 VR and TC 14 teleconverter