The Sky-Blue eyes of the target species
and why I developed an aversion to New Zealand govt bird pages
Wes ðu hāl (be thou hale),
In my RCR interview with Paul Brennan last year, he made the comment that “We’re very good at poisoning things”. He was referring to New Zealand’s decades-long war on nature in the form of 1080 drops, species-specific poisoning of animals like the Rooks, and of course, the poisoning of humanity. Don’t forget we too are part of nature. All creation has the opportunity to exist in optimum health when it is not being poisoned.
Being a New Zealander I am both revolted by, and fascinated to discover, how and why this country seems so intoxicated with the stealthy destruction (especially) of those who have no voice. Has contentedly contemplating mass poisoning of life become a national pastime? Or is it more about an apathetic and misled public allowing nefarious political and commercial relationships to run amok? See who appoints Orillion’s Board of Directors and draw your own conclusions.
Of course we dress up the agonised death of millions of animals each year with the term: “Conservation” and the use of pretty words like “Forest” and “Bird” and perhaps that is sufficient panacea for any lingering guilt or inadvertent glimpsed horror on an anti-1080 website or documentary. Certainly euphemism seems to be the safe harbour for the policy enactors- Mrs. Brebner of the BOP explains the “treating” of Rook nests with poison bait intended to “reduce numbers”. All very tidy.
We are indeed geographically distant from other countries, but the disparity between New Zealand’s attitude vs that of Europe and Britain, toward a bird which lives just as much in the agricultural realm in both regions, is breathtaking.
A quick hunt online for Rooks in New Zealand (and of course Rooks worldwide) will yield such vast inequality in descriptions of the bird as to make one wonder if the algorithm had served up two entirely different species.
“Rooks first became a problem in the Waikato region in the Miranda area in 1968. Waikato Regional Council has been involved in controlling rooks since 2002 and we estimate the rook population in this region is now less than 40 birds.
While it’s good news that the numbers are so low, this makes surveillance and control challenging and we need to get rid of them permanently”.1
and:
“Greater Wellington is calling on farmers and rural communities to “look for rooks” and report sightings of the introduced bird as the regional council hunts down the remaining population.
Identified by their glossy bluish-purple feathers and harsh “kaah” call, rooks cause significant damage to crops and pasture by destroying newly sprouted seedlings.
Greater Wellington senior biosecurity officer, Steve Playle, says the region is on the cusp of eradicating the species completely, with only a handful of nests or ‘rookeries’ left to target.
“Rook control carried out with the help of local landowners has driven the population down to very few – and we need to find them,” says Playle.
“We’ve gone from targeting 900 nests in a year to just seven last year. We are now in the best position to rid the region of rooks, which will mean less stress and better economic outcomes for local farmers.”2
Contrasted with:
“Rooks are highly social and gregarious, often seen in flocks. They are monogamous, with pairs forming lifelong bonds and staying together within the flock. These birds are diurnal, foraging on the ground during the day and roosting communally at night. They exhibit complex social behaviors and are known for their intelligence and problem-solving abilities.”3
and:
Rooks do provide several benefits to agricultural fields, making them valuable contributors to the ecosystem and agricultural practices. Rooks are omnivorous birds and have a diverse diet that includes insects, grubs and small rodents. They actively forage for invertebrates and pests that can damage crops, helping in fact the farmer to reduce the populations of agricultural pests naturally, which raises the questions why friendly farmer use noisy canons or other scare tactics, whilst others just kill the birds and think about their role in the artificial ecosystem later.
It is also an established fact that rooks may feed on seeds and fruits from various plants. As they fly and forage, they inadvertently disperse seeds, aiding in natural plant propagation and promoting biodiversity in the agricultural landscape. Rooks are known to probe and dig the soil in search of food. Their foraging activities can help to aerate the soil, which enhances nutrient cycling and improves soil health. Rooks are scavengers and will consume carrion, including dead animals found in fields. By feeding on carrion, they help to clean up the environment and are beneficial in controlling the spread of diseases associated with decaying carcasses. Rooks consume various organic materials and their droppings, along with the remains of their food, contribute to nutrient recycling in the agricultural ecosystem. This helps to maintain sufficient nutrient levels in the soil and supports the growth of crops.
Rooks are part of the natural biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. Encouraging diverse bird populations, which should include rooks, can help to create a balanced ecosystem that promotes ecological stability and resilience.4
The thing is neither the well-wishers nor the scorch-and-burn crowd actually know all there is to know about Rooks. Just type in: “Why do Rooks hatch with blue eyes?” and see what comes up. Bugger-all except we are led to believe it might have something to do with parents recognising that there is a chick in their nest who needs feeding. Really? A bird with an equivalent intelligence to a 7-year-old human child needs its young to have blue eyes to know that the other Rooks in its nest are its babies?
But at least the well-wishers understand that the picture around Rooks is bigger, more complex, and far more intelligent, symbiotic and far reaching, than do the New Zealand govt websites and, it seems, the local and central govts themselves.
With regard to the Greater Wellington website statement alone, the “better economic outcomes” is disingenuous. With a $2 billion/year grass grub problem5 and rising environmental and economic costs of poisoning the grubs6, and by proximity, the entire delicate soil ecosystem with its attendant native species, it is difficult to see how eradicating the bird brought here over 160 years ago to deal organically with those same grass grubs, will result in better economic outcomes.
Riddle me this: What is the real reason the Rooks are being exterminated? I’d really like to know.
Until next time.
https://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/services/biosecurity/plant-and-animal-pests/rooks/#e4518
https://www.gw.govt.nz/your-region/news/greater-wellington-close-to-ridding-the-region-of-rooks/
https://app.birda.org/species-guide/22675/Rook
https://corvid-isle.wiki/doku.php?id=corvids_-_killers_or_scavengers&s[]=rooks
REVIEW ARTICLE https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00288233.2018.1478860 “Quantifying the economic cost of invertebrate pests to New Zealand’s pastoral industry”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/107497974/this-native-pest-is-costing-our-economy millions--and-its-not alone#:~:text=The%20conventional%20approach%20to%20dealing,helped%20curtail%20grass%20 grub%20spread.