Trapped rare white heron a 'victim of human waste'
Photographer Paul Corliss blames human laziness for a rare white heron being left stuck with a plastic ring around its neck.
A rare white heron, or kōtuku, has been spotted in an east Christchurch suburb with what appears to be a plastic ring from discarded rubbish stuck around its neck.
The bird was photographed by amateur wildlife photographer Paul Corliss on Linwood canal on Monday.
Department of Conservation (DOC) officers have tried in vain to catch the bird and free it from its trap but do not believe the ring is causing any major damage.
The bird, spotted on Linwood canal, was first spotted struggling with the plastic snare by DOC rangers a year ago.
Corliss, a member of the Avon Heathcote Estuary Ihutai Trust conservation group, said he only realised the bird was trapped when he edited his photos later.
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"The fact that the heron's predicament wasn't immediately life-threatening was only luck. If the cursed plastic ring was any smaller in diameter it would no doubt have proved otherwise," he said.
Another white heron was shot last winter at Kaiapoi, north of Christchurch. After recovering tt was released back to its breeding ground in Whataroa.
"With a New Zealand-wide population of only 150-200 birds we can ill-afford the loss of a single bird due to this human-generated plastic waste."
Tanya Jenkins, co-ordinator of the estuary trust, said she was "horrified" when she first saw the photos.
"Many of us will have seen this stunning heron and enjoyed its presence in the urban waterways of the city.
White herons breed at Waitangiroto Nature Reserve in south Westland, where there is a permanent population of between 100 and 120.
"How incredibly sad that in return for its trust in us we have given it a choking collar of urban waste that could threaten its life."
The bird is thought to have had the ring around its neck for some time, and last winter DOC rangers tried unsuccessfully to capture it and free it from its quandary.
Despite the uncomfortable look, DOC senior ranger Anita Spencer did not believe the heron was any immediate danger.
"We saw it last year after two different photographers sent pictures of it with what appeared to be a black ring around it. We tried three times to catch it then but it would fly off when we were 20m or 30m away.
"The good news is that it has come back and is surviving with the ring, so it must be big enough that it's not stopping the heron from feeding. I'm sure it's an irritation and will be rubbing its skin or damaging its feathers, but we can't get close enough to it."
White herons are rare in New Zealand and breed only at the Waitangiroto Nature Reserve near Whataroa in southern Westland, where DOC estimates there is a permanent population of between 100 and 120 birds.
After the breeding season between September and January birds disperse widely across the country, settling in coastal freshwater wetlands and estuaries.
Volunteers from the Avon Heathcote Estuary Ihutai Trust and and other river care groups are holding a major clean-up operation on the banks of the two rivers on May 12.
"Every piece of rubbish discarded in the street ends up in our waterways and can threaten our rare birds in this way," Jenkins said.
"Take your rubbish home and dispose of it properly and let's look after our stunning wildlife."
- Stuff
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