Hayes Hits Headlines Again

[Dickie Billericay]

Distance learning icon Dr. Neil Hayes has authored a featured article in the March 2010 issue of Southern Bird, a publication of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand.  Entitled "Pateke In Recovery Mode," the article looks at the bird's population decline and recovery in New Zealand.

Dr. Hayes has done some great work down there in NZ, preserving the rare birds from extinction, shooting the tasty ones for dinner, and helping folks like us tell the difference.

Congratulations Dr. Hayes on another great effort!

A brief quote here, and the full doc attached below:

Introduction
The endemic Brown Teal Anas chlorotis or Pateke has been under threat of premature extinction (infuenced by humans) since Europeans started arriving in New Zealand in the 1800’s, initially accompanied by rats, cats and dogs, and eventually by ferrets, stoats, weasels and hedgehogs. Wetland destruction and the destruction of native bush were also rampant from those early days of colonisation and impacted heavily on Pateke survival, as did duck shooting. It is also becoming widely acknowledged that the ever expanding Australasian Harrier population is also adversely infuencing the survival of Pateke ducklings and adults, along with the Pukeko, which kills ducklings of all species seemingly just for the sake of it!

Fossil research completed in 2002 determined  that Pateke were present in New Zealand at least 10,000 years ago, and that they were widespread in large numbers throughout the country and inhabited most types of wetland habitat: lakes, rivers, lagoons, ponds, creeks, forest streams, swamps, estuaries, etc. This research confrmed what Peter Scott (founder of the UK’s Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust) said in 1960, that he believed “brown teal were an ancient and primitive form of duck.”

Pateke
Pateke evolved in an almost predator free environment and the Brown Teal Conservation Trust believes that the species evolved from the very beginning of life in New Zealand, which is why Pateke have a number of unique characteristics which are not commonly found in other species of waterfowl, such as:

• Nocturnal behaviour
  
• Murderous nature of an established pair
  (In 1960 when Peter Scott received three brown teal at WWT Slimbridge he said that he hoped New Zealander’s were not of a similar nature!)
  
• Long-term parental attention provided to their progeny by both parents
  
• Great climbing ability
  
• Incredible vulnerability to predation
  
• Incredible vulnerability to being shot during the duck season – in spite of total protection from hunting from 1921 onwards
  
• Specialised bill, with very prominent lamellae

[BROWN TEAL]

Distance learning icon Dr. Neil Hayes has authored a featured article in the March 2010 issue of Southern Bird, a publication of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand.  Entitled "Pateke In Recovery Mode," the article looks at the bird's population decline and recovery in New Zealand.
Dr. Hayes has done some great work down there in NZ, preserving the rare birds from extinction, shooting the tasty ones for dinner, and helping folks like us tell the difference.
Congratulations Dr. Hayes on another great effort!
A brief quote here, and the full doc attached below:

Thanks for that Dickie.
The Recovery Programme has certainly come a long way since 1999, when the brown teal population had plummeted to a total of only 750 birds - and when two brown teal fanatics featured on national TV slating the situation. Not long after a major Audit of the recovery programme took place and today there are now close to 3,000 surviving in the wild, with the most spectacular recovery being on the Coromandel Peninsula, where in 1999 there was less than 20 surviving and there on now over 1,000 on the peninsula. All being achieved through the elimination of introduced predators, together with habitat creation, enhancement and management – and a Department of Conservation that has become more receptive to external pressure!

[Winston Smith]

Proof again that it is the man who brings credence to the degree, and not the other way 'round.  A dumbass with a Harvard and/or Princeton degree is still just a dumbass.  Likewise, the light of a gentleman and a scholar shines through whatever clouds others might wish to put on his degree.  Keep up the good work, Dr. Hayes.

[BROWN TEAL]

Proof again that it is the man who brings credence to the degree, and not the other way 'round.  A dumbass with a Harvard and/or Princeton degree is still just a dumbass.  Likewise, the light of a gentleman and a scholar shines through whatever clouds others might wish to put on his degree.  Keep up the good work, Dr. Hayes.

Thanks Winston - yes, A FOOL WITHOUT A DEGREE IS A FOOL and A FOOL WITH A DEGREE IS STILL A FOOL!
The Pateke piece was published in the NZ Ornithological Society’s (OSNZ) quarterly journal “SOUTHERN BIRD” and has generated considerable interest - and actually featured in the centrefold.
However, the unique characteristics of the NZ Brown teal (Anas chlorotis) had to be limited in content - to suit the space available, so here’s what we’ve learnt about the unique characteristics since first meeting this bird in 1970:
• Nocturnal behaviour – was crepuscular, but now almost
totally nocturnal
• Monogamous relationship – extremely rare amongst all
species of dabbling duck
• Murderous nature when a pair bond has been formed – in
captivity it is essential to keep a pair confined to their
own aviary
• Long-term parental attention by both parents – right through
to the flying stage
• Great climbing ability
• Extreme vulnerability to predators
• Extreme vulnerability to being shot during the hunting season
• Failure to adapt to a changing environment
• Preference for estuarine habitat
• Colour, body shape, size, weight, courtship behaviour,
displays, vocal sound
• Pre and post-copulatory behaviour
• Feeding patterns
• What they eat
• Egg shape, size and weight – huge eggs for the size of the
female
• Colour, size and weight of progeny
• A specialised bill
• Flocking behaviour after the breeding season
• Strong preference for walking instead of flying
• Very long-lived in a predator free high quality habitat area
(we had a female in captivity that lived to 24 years and 3
months!)

This list is by no means exhaustive, but provides an insight into this unique New Zealand icon!

[BROWN TEAL]

Proof again that it is the man who brings credence to the degree, and not the other way 'round.  

I've been reflecting on this and realised that during my long involvement with NZ waterfowl and wetlands I've been privileged to meet many recognised, in fact quite world famous, waterfowl people - such as, Professor Janet Kear, Jeffery Harrison, Sir Peter Scott, Dr Baz Hughes, Sir William Gilbert, Mike Lubbock, Frank Todd, just to mention a few - and never once have I been asked what qualification I had to be involved in saving rare species.
A Google on these people will soon determine their status in the field
Janet Kear also wrote a flattering piece about my work in her book
"Man & Wildfowl"
Anyhow, thanks for making me think about this.