In his column, Jill Reomer writes: “The black-tailed fortune teller in the Frisian meadow, the black shepherds in Heide Salandse, the corn wolf in the Limburg fields, and nowadays the ring-necked parrot in Vondelpark, they are or are here thanks to man.” Birds morning.

In our country there are quite a few biologists who write, writers with a flair for biology and nature, and all this colorful company rests on the shoulders of the biologist, poet and writer Dick Helenius, who was prematurely deceased. I forgot, Jack. P. Thijsse now.

Biology, Art, Science, Music, and Life

Dick Helenius wrote about biology, art, science, music and life, often in a way that provokes opinion and thought. And that in prose very beautiful and literary. I came across a clip placed on the same background as this broadcast today, specifically Naardermeer, and it was about a 1946 discussion of whether or not you should mow the reeds at Naardermeer for sale.

After all, it is a business that has basically nothing to do with nature conservation. But if you don’t cut the reeds, the area will thicken and you end up with a monotonous forest of alder, willow, and everything.

Monotonous forest

Helenius about this, quote: “I do not defend such a forest. It is natural, but it is shabby and you cannot even walk in it. It is of little use to you. Human intervention is not always that bad. The large number of bird species in our country is only due to the fact. That the environment has affected us, if people don’t cut down a big chunk of forests, do all kinds of interventions in our country, urban planning, drainage, etc., then there won’t be a large number of these types.

If you allow the botanists and ornithologists among us to list what belongs here naturally, and list what came here due to the fact that man made the earth differently … the second list is probably bigger than the first. End of quote.

Corn and ryegrass

Just think about that. It was the black-tailed fortune teller in a Frisian meadow, the black shepherds in Saland Health, the corn wolf in the Limburg fields, and nowadays the neck-necked parrot in Vondel Park, they were or are here thanks to humans. What Helenius had not imagined at the time was that many of the species he refers to now work so poorly. As Godwit is racing to the bottom, black grouse and corn coyote have already landed there.

I know, we now have that gray parrot, the Egyptian goose and some other species, but the main question is no longer whether we should mow the reeds at Naardermeer or not, so the discussion now is about another grazing place where you could build a distribution center, data center, wind farm, or meadow solar panels. ; There are still a million homes to be built, highways to be expanded and another airport to be opened if needed. What remains after that is corn and rygrass.

Dick Helenius is said to have written wise words about her, but he died prematurely in 1986 at the age of 60.

He might have asked the last black-tailed fortune teller, before he flew away on his way to the Portuguese sun, whether he would in particular not forget to turn off the light here.

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