This press release by well known outdoorsman Alan Simmons was done in 2018 and is even more appropriate today.
“The Dawn Chorus is now pathetic in our wild places” said Alan Simmons who has thousands of registered hunters on his outdoors forum.
“In places where concerned locals are using traps and ground control methods for getting rid of pests the dawn chorus is returning with vigour while in heavily aerially poisoned areas of our mountains it has declined dramatically.”
Alan Simmons said “That in the early 1980’s as a struggling safari guide he took people on tours into the Kaimanawa mountains to hear the noise of the early morning wake -up and it was deafening. Back then no poisoning had taken place and the bush was full of rats, possums and stoats.”
“So what is happening now.”? Alan Asked. “After 50 years of working in our wilderness places my opinion is that nectar eating birds are surviving the poison drops but all the insect eating or ground dwelling birds are not.”
Alan said “That hunting trips into areas heavily poisoned such as the Tongariro Forest are pretty quiet and anyone who says otherwise has no idea what it was like. Maybe the young DOC officers should heed the warnings of us oldies” he commented. “We have been there and for them to try and tell us they know better is an affront to all our vast outdoors experience.”
Alan said ” That DOC in it’s ‘Battle for the birds’ is actually destroying them. In the 1960’s if you slept in, the dawn chorus would wake you up. Not now.”
“The Dawn Chorus is now pathetic in our wild places” said Alan Simmons who has thousands of registered hunters on his outdoors forum.
“In places where concerned locals are using traps and ground control methods for getting rid of pests the dawn chorus is returning with vigour while in heavily aerially poisoned areas of our mountains it has declined dramatically.”
Alan Simmons said “That in the early 1980’s as a struggling safari guide he took people on tours into the Kaimanawa mountains to hear the noise of the early morning wake -up and it was deafening. Back then no poisoning had taken place and the bush was full of rats, possums and stoats.”
“So what is happening now.”? Alan Asked. “After 50 years of working in our wilderness places my opinion is that nectar eating birds are surviving the poison drops but all the insect eating or ground dwelling birds are not.”
Alan said “That hunting trips into areas heavily poisoned such as the Tongariro Forest are pretty quiet and anyone who says otherwise has no idea what it was like. Maybe the young DOC officers should heed the warnings of us oldies” he commented. “We have been there and for them to try and tell us they know better is an affront to all our vast outdoors experience.”
Alan said ” That DOC in it’s ‘Battle for the birds’ is actually destroying them. In the 1960’s if you slept in, the dawn chorus would wake you up. Not now.”
Alan Simmons – Nectar eating birds surviving poison
but other species are not
Alan is so right. I had a scientist – admittedly a marine scientist – tell me he was in Arthurs Pass area after a 1080 drop and birds were singing. I replied “You mean nectar feeding birds?”
He stopped, looked at me and then replied “Well yes I guess so.”
1080 was first patented in 1927 as an insecticide. If it doesn’t kill the birds directly, it kills their food supply.
I agree with Mr Simmons. The trouble is DOC lack lateral vision to understand disruptive side effects within the food chain’s ecosystem; so too do zealotry groups like Predator Free NZ and Zero Invasive Predators.