Taxidermist Noel Hyde honoured for a lifetime's work

Noel Hyde. Photo/Kurien Koshy Yohannan

Noel Hyde can call a ''falcon down from the clouds''.

It's those skills, developed over a lifetime as a bird of prey conservation advocate, scientific taxidermist and feather identification expert that have been acknowledged today with the Rotorua man being made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to wildlife conservation and research taxidermy.

''I'm fortunate because I have been able to pursue my interests and make those my life work,'' Hyde said.

The recognition was ''very humbling because I just love what I do''.

Hyde has spent decades as a scientific bird taxidermist, preserving and collecting data for major national museum research collections and has fond memories of his time at Te Papa – which he continues to do contract work for.

''I had 27 years doing basically research taxidermy. It was quite amazing, I did pretty much most New Zealand species and some from overseas but I was really lucky to work with Sandy Bartle, a wonderful curator of birds.

''During those early years Bartle developed the bird collection to world standards and improved the conditions of storage and specimen preparation.''

Hyde was also sent to the United States for six months were he gained expertise at the Carnegie Museum of National History and the Milwaukee Public Museum in the scientific preparation of zoological specimens.

''I was able to bring all of the knowledge and skills back to further enhance the specimen collections.''

He has tenderly preserved everything from New Zealand's largest bird, the royal albatross to the smallest, the rifleman, and ''everything in between''.

''When you are doing a bird like the rifleman, your fingers are almost bigger than the bird so it's like micro surgery.''

A perfectionist by nature he said, ''if you are able to put it back together with minimal loss of feathers and nicely shaped and preened then there is a lot of satisfaction in that because taxidermy itself is an art''.

Satisfaction and fulfilment are words Hyde also uses when he talks about his part in the development of the Wingspan National Bird of Prey Trust in Rotorua and his love of falcons and falconry.

''Falcons are spectacular, they have this look of disdain about them, they are magic birds. Humans have been enamoured by them for over 4000 years and I am no different from those people.

''You have the ability to call a bird down from the clouds when you start blowing your whistle or swinging your lure and it turns and comes back to you, that is a very special feeling.

''Then of course if you are fortunate and that bird is trained it can race off and catch you dinner.''

Hyde is able to demonstrate his falconry abilities at Wingspan and obtained the first falconry permit in New Zealand in 2010 which led to the establishment of the New Zealand Falconers Association.

An advocate for the protection of birds of prey, he said Wingspan played an important role when it came to research, education and awareness.

Currently there are about 27 falcons, owls and hawks at Wingspan and a few are used in free flying demonstrations with visitor numbers averaging 20,000 per year.

''My partner Debbie and I both wish there had been something like this when we were younger.

''You see the look on people's faces that might have a special interest in birds. You give them the opportunity not only to see the bird fly but to hold a bird on the glove. That can be a lifelong memory or life changing and is so fulfilling.''