‘The Robins Return’

Press, 25 October 1982, Page 11

‘The Robins Return’

New Zealand, according to TVNZ. has proved itself a world leader in the destruction of its native bird species, and is now a world leader in techniques for their preservation. "The Robins Return" (on Two at 8 o'clock tonight) — the first episode in a new series of "Wild South" — takes to the Chatham Islands and one of the boldest attempts to save one of the world's rarest birds, the black robin. In the mid 19705. a small band of men from the NewZealand Wildlife Service transferred the last of a dying breed cf birds to a new island home in a desperate attempt to save the species. At the time of the transfers only seven black robins remained — they were probably the world s rarest birds. Thev lived on the Chatham Islands and seven men were sent to save them. The transfer of the black robins was the subject of the "Wild South" documentary. "Seven Black Robins.”

screened in January last year. Much has happened to the black robin since then. Earlier this year a second attempt was made to save the black robin. "The Robins Return" is the film of that attempt. The methods were bold — even bizzare. The techniques used have never been tried anywhere else in the world with such a tiny rare bird. This year the robins will lose their eggs and young to a team of surrogate warbler mothers. Warblers are tiny wild birds that nest in the same forest as the robins. They have shown themselves to rival the broodiest of bantams when it comes to sitting on eggs. Now it will fall on them to rear the robins' eggs. "The Robins Return" takes the viewer inside the warblers’ nests, and asks Don Merton, the man who masterminded the project, how far man should go in his effort to save the robins.