Local residents around the main rookery’s colony are afraid that they will become the victims of this, and will be inconvenienced for at least another year.
“This is very special,” says local resident Onno Oostland, when he hears about the illegally removed nests. “I have never noticed anything about the missing nests, nor have I seen or heard anyone. It must have happened at night. Because during the day you see something like this, because we are directly opposite. But how was that done? I have no idea. I don’t think you can get all those nests out of the treetops just like that. But I do not see any nests anymore. I wonder if it really was 74.”
Finally some action
Oostland is one of the complaining residents who have been bothered by the protected bird for several years. And that nuisance is increasing every year. Oostland therefore wrote a letter to town hall last spring, because he finally wanted to see measures. He lives opposite a colony of rooks, which are mainly found in the oaks around the De Beekdalhoeve children’s farm. The rookery has been using this place as a permanent breeding ground for more than three years, which is why it is a main colony.
But the problem is that this main colony is spreading further and further in the neighbourhood, creating a sub-colony in the trees at the Wheathulls. Houses around primary school De Heksenketel also experience a lot of nuisance. Residents are screamed out of their sleep early in the morning and especially in the breeding season there is an early ‘screaming’. They also suffer from bird shit. Oostland, and other residents in the area, can no longer stand it and wanted the municipality to take action last year.
Rook management plan
That was almost there, after the municipality had been working on a rook management plan for months. That took a long time, because the municipality has to deal with all kinds of legal rules from the nature conservation law. Driving off rooks with, for example, bangs or shiny strings without provincial permission, and dismantling their nests in order to disturb their favorite breeding and sleeping place is not allowed by law.
A digital residents’ meeting was held in December about the plan. There they were given an explanation of a package of measures to reduce the nuisance. For example, the main colony in Marsdijk would become a lot smaller by removing nests, while the subcolony at Tarwehullen and Gersthullen would be removed by the municipality. The nesting trees are then rendered unsuitable by cutting certain branches, so-called tridents, out of the trees. If there are nests, they will be removed. Meanwhile, the municipality in Assen would look at other expansion locations for rooks, which are further away from homes.
Little trust
Incidentally, the complaining Marsdijkers did not have much faith in the plan. They prefer to get rid of the main colony. “Apparently, the welfare of the bird takes precedence over that of the residents, at least that’s how we felt. That entire rookery has to get out of here, it just doesn’t belong in a residential area. It should be moved somewhere outside Assen, far away of houses. They also do that in other municipalities. But Assen did not want to go that far,” says Oostland.
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further from home
But due to the illegal action, in which 74 nests were removed, the Marsdijkers are further away from home. Some measures cannot continue now. As a result, part of the main colony cannot be removed. Nests older than one year must remain untouched. And that also applies to nests from the subcolony at the Wheathulls.
Assen will not receive an exemption from the province for this, now that the main colony in Marsdijk has been affected. The province must ensure compliance with the nature conservation law, because the rook is a protected bird. Only cutting branches is allowed to make nesting trees unsuitable, and removing nesting principles of less than a year.
The province first wants to know what the consequences are of the disappeared nests for the rookery in Marsdijk, before nests can also be removed elsewhere. Disturbing the birds with glittering things or chasing them away with noise is no longer allowed either. “This illegal action therefore has consequences for all local residents who would rather have seen the nuisance tackled,” says alderman Bob Bergsma.
‘The one shoots himself and us in the foot’
Another resident is also disappointed. “Whoever secretly removed the nests, presumably because he was tired of them, is not only shooting himself, but all of us in the foot. Now very little can be done against the nuisance for the time being. And the rooks are already there again with a large group. I’m afraid we’ll have this problem for another year longer.”
A resident who lives right across from the colony says the nests have been “gone for weeks.” “But not the rooks.” And she would have preferred that. She has no idea who removed the nests. “This cannot go unnoticed, because you really need a cherry picker for that.”
‘Nuisance is extreme’
According to her, the nuisance of the rooks is ‘enormous’. “Even our visitors complain about the noise, while we have the windows and doors closed. You can see their surprise and they even started taking pictures and videos. I don’t like to complain and whine but it’s really extreme. Even now without nests. I hold my breath for the coming months.”
Complainant Onno Oostland also fears the worst. He has also long spotted the noisy rooks. Because even though all the nests are gone, according to him it has been a coming and going of rooks in the trees in front of his house for a while now.
Hope for action municipality
“Last year I thought it took an awfully long time before the municipality responded to all complaints. At the end of last year they finally came up with a rook management plan with implementation proposals. We would discuss that further, and the municipality would put residents in a working group. But unfortunately it remained silent after that and now all of a sudden this. I’m afraid this will take a long time again and in the meantime I’m still having trouble.”
Oostland and other residents hope to hear from the municipality soon how it will proceed with the action plan. “It is already February, and before you know it it will be March, which means the breeding season. Those branches on which they like to breed, have yet to be removed. And they also want to remove starting nests. They will be back in a moment. The municipality will need to act quickly.”