Municipalities in Drenthe are tired of the nuisance caused by rooks. They argue for a provincial approach. Roe expert Diederik van Liere supports the municipalities. “It’s like mopping with the tap open.”
In the municipality of Emmen, the Angelslo and Barger-Compascuum neighborhoods suffer from smoke nuisance. The municipality has applied for a new permit from the province to chase away or relocate the birds.
But permission has not yet been given. “That’s a shame, because the birds return to their nests in February,” says Stephanie Schippers, spokesperson for the municipality of Emmen.
In neighborhoods where a rookery has settled, residents complain about poop, stench and noise pollution. According to behavioral biologist Diederik van Liere, rooks do not make more noise than other birds from the crow family, such as magpies and jays. They are not even louder than other birds. “The blackbird can be just as loud in the morning,” says Van Liere.
According to Van Liere, the problem is the type of noise that can become annoying to people. Rooks have a cawing call, similar to that of crows. “If you’re in there day and night, it starts to irritate at some point. Then I understand that you’re tired of those birds.”
Rooks are creatures of habit, according to Van Liere: “They return to the old nests every year.” If the nests are not moved, you can count on them becoming the annoying neighbor again the following year. “They fight for the nests that have survived the winter. They have proven to be strong and that is where they prefer to lay their eggs,” says the biologist.
The return of the birds caused many problems in Assen. Relocating the nests was attempted as an approach to combating rookery nuisance in the Marsdijk district. The birds eventually moved to another place there, but settled in a different place than previously planned.
In Emmen they are afraid that the birds will move within the neighborhood and that this will only move the problem. “If we chase away the rooks in our country, there is a good chance that they will settle in a nearby municipality. Then you will only move the problem,” said spokesperson Schippers.
That is why the municipality wrote a letter to the province last November, together with nine other Drenthe municipalities. Only De Wolden and Hoogeveen did not join, the municipalities say that there is currently no rook problem there.
In the letter, the ten municipalities ask the province for a common goal. They want ‘clarity, unambiguous criteria and a long-term vision of rookery management’.
The municipalities would like to investigate whether a permit per municipality is feasible, instead of a permit per rookery. In addition, you can look at rook-resistant locations, where animals are allowed to stay.
