Retired zoologist John Darby started the Lake Wanaka Grebe project six years ago and said this time last year one bird had already hatched three chicks and another three pairs were about to hatch their eggs.
He said a pair of grebes had been recorded displaying courtship behaviour on June 28 this year but the next day one was found dead, floating next to the hull of a boat tied up at the marina.
''Obviously, these birds do die but the sad thing was that it had its mate and they were displaying very intense courtship behaviour.''
Mr Darby said the Department of Conservation agreed for the dead bird to be sent to Massy University for a full necropsy and they confirmed it had died of starvation.
Yesterday, Mr Darby saw a pair of grebes taking mouthfuls of weed to a marina platform nest and displaying courtship behaviour ''which is the most positive sign we have had so far of them likely to start breeding'' this season.
He said grebes ate small fish, snails and insects (if they were desperate) and the low lake water levels this month could be one of the reasons for the late start to the breeding season, which may not improve until the lake levels adjust themselves.
According to Otago Regional council measurements, the lake level was 276.71m at Roys Bay yesterday.
The lowest level since records began in 1933 was 276.22m, recorded on September 2, 1959.
Metservice communications meteorologist Lewis Ferris said since 1992 the Wanaka airport had averaged 55mm rainfall in June, 44mm in July, 45mm in August and 48mm in September.
This year the airport has averaged 12mm, 57mm, 24mm and 14mm for the respective months, which is 85mm less than average in the last four months.
Mr Darby has approached Queenstown Lakes District council to create a wetland from the end of the marina to the Dinosaur Park, which could eventually become a self-sustaining ecosystem for the grebes.
Council communications spokesman Jack Barlow said staff members had met Mr Darby during, and following, public consultation on the concept plan for stage three of the Wanaka Lakefront Development Plan.
''One proposed feature of stage three is a boardwalk and we would like to understand what effect, if any, a feature like this could have on the grebe population.
''This feedback, along with that received from the community in August 2019, is currently being used to prepare a more detailed concept design for stage three,'' he said.
