Birds: The White Sea Eagles of Parramatta

And so the devastation of life on earth continues, but this time it is the avian life form that seeks the limelight in the worst possible way. I read the article “Who is saving the great birds of Sydney” by John Huxley in Saturdays’ newspaper “The Sydney Morning Herald” dated Saturday, March 14–15 2009.

The article was about the beautiful White Sea eagles that are being systematically poisoned by the twenty-year build-up of chemical detritus around Homebush Bay and in the Parramatta River’s waterways. Dioxins are poisons that affect the fish that the birds eat for their survival and are being blamed for the high bird mortality rate. The most heavily polluted areas, it seems, are around Neutral Bay and Rushcutters Bay where the prime offenders are pesticides and heavy metals. Chemical poisons equal water equals shellfish equals fish equals birds and finally equals death. And so the great cycle of life slows down: halts.

Birds are dropping out of the sky, literally. The lack of care directly results in death to these members of a most stunningly beautiful bird species. I understand from the article that at least seven of these birds have died over the past years. But money is money and after all, birds cannot supply that all-important dollar to man.

Obviously for Australia to survive commercially on the worldwide stage production must march on regardless, but the big question here is why can’t the disposal of chemical rubbish be supervised more closely? Regulated more avidly? And effectively disposed of so that the inter-dependent life forms are not being killed needlessly?

Another question is why don’t the owners of said chemical residue accept their ethical and moral responsibility to dispose properly of the end? Products of their money-making businesses. Poisoning the waterways cannot be good for anyone. And if they can’t accept their responsibilities why has the government allowed this regime of slackness and carelessness to slip under the carpet? Where are the regulators, the inspectors of the waterways?

Who is responsible? I guess we all are in some small way, but in the meantime, these poor birds suffer and die. Mothers, fathers, and even chicklet corpses have been found floating along the Parramatta River. What is this going to do for the species? A rhetorical question I know, but action is needed now.

From what I understand of birdlife (which is not a lot) birds somehow imprint on their brains where to travel, where the best breeding grounds are, where to find the right food, what trees produce fruit or nuts at what time, and this information is passed on generationally and becomes intrinsic to their way of life; their avian living skills.

So it is here that I wonder wrongly or rightly, how many generations of birds will live briefly to die by chemical poisoning before their brain patterns impose a new thought that maybe this river is not conducive to good living? Plus, how many more birds will die before they find a new habitat where they can safely drink water and eat non-contaminated fish in safety?

National Geographic Photographer, Jon Irvine, is reported in John Huxley’s article to be particularly upset about the state of play with these and other beautiful birds being at such risk, and he goes on to say that “it is a mystery” as to why it is happening. Plus, it was also predicted in the same article that “until the State Government does something about the toxic state of the bay”, the death of the birds will continue.

However, good news has been reported, and in this instance, a $100 million dollar improvement project planned to take place at the Rhodes peninsula but “it could take some time”. I wonder how long is some time? But this will obviously improve the waterways which can only be good after “twenty years of neglect when previously the area was a place birds couldn’t live in at all”.

So I ask again — who is at fault here? — Well certainly it is neither the fish nor the fowl!

NB…general information for the above essay was gleaned from “Who is killing the great birds of Sydney?” An article in the Sydney Morning Herald: Dated Saturday, March 14–15 2009: writer John Huxley