Wow....
Snow falling in New York City and the temperature hovering around freezing.
One certainly would not expect this for the late days in October. "Winter" doesn't officially begin until December 21st.
I find myself worrying over Brad, the domestic Rouen duck somehow surviving at Harlem Meer for at least several years.
The difference is this year, Brad doesn't have Angelina, his long time mate (or sibling) who mysteriously vanished this past spring.
The Meer typically freezes over in the winter and during particularly cold or stormy weather, the resident mallards leave.
Last year, it was a struggle for the flightless Brad and Angelina to maintain a tiny pool of open water. They had to swim frantically and constantly and even with that, the open water was eventually reduced to half of what might fill a bathtub -- less than a couple of feet in diameter.
I cannot envision Brad making it entirely on his own this winter.
Were Brad a cat or dog, I would have rescued him years ago from what is the unnatural environment of a city park.
But, he is a duck, and even though a domestic duck as opposed to wild waterfowl, there are rules banning the removal of birds from a public park.
Additionally, I am not experienced in bird rescue, don't have the proper equipment and don't have the facilities to "foster" Brad safely until a proper home could be found. Even though confident my dogs would not harm Brad, I can't boast the same confidence of my cats.
Last spring, after the disappearance of Angelina, I called Central Park Rangers to request rescue for Brad.
But, I was told that since Brad was neither sick nor injured and since there were other ducks at the Meer, he was to be left alone.
"Nature should take its course."
But, it really isn't "nature" when domestic animals are abandoned in parks and it seems when that occurs, those animals should be quickly rescued and responsibly placed in a proper setting.
It is nothing short of miraculous that Brad has survived this long and that certainly gives credence to this duck's remarkable survival skills and smarts.
But, matters haven't been quite so "miraculous" for other domestic fowl abandoned in Central Park.
In 2009, three Pekin ducks were abandoned at Harlem Meer during the summer. While incredible that the three ducks survived the ensuing winter together, two of the three mysteriously vanished the following spring (like Angelina) and speculation by a park ranger was that the birds had been snatched for Santeria.
While I tried to plead rescue and placement for "Joey" the remaining Pekin duck, I was told the same thing as for Brad: "Nature should take its course. As long as the duck is healthy......"
Joey had it very rough without the companionship and security of his flock mates. Rejected by mallards, ignored by geese and attacked by the two dominant birds of the Meer (Brad and Angelina), my heart ached for Joey.
Brad particularly went after Joey and at times appeared as if he was trying to drown Joey by holding the larger, white duck down in the water. Fortunately, (probably due to his larger size and strength), Joey was able to escape.
Things however, changed dramatically just before the onset of last winter.
Apparently realizing he needed the help of another flightless duck when the lake started to freeze over, Brad eventually accepted Joey and from that point, the three domestic ducks were an inseparable team.
That is, until last January when a dog apparently attacked Joey on the ice and rescue then had to occur. Joey was captured by a park ranger, transported to an avian veterinary facility for treatment and later placed in a caring home out of the city with other Pekin ducks.
It was then that Brad and Angelina were entirely on their own in struggling to maintain the open water at Harlem Meer.
Miraculously, the two domestic ducks made it through the brutal winter -- only to have Angelina vanish in the spring.
So, of the 4 domestic ducks abandoned at Harlem Meer, only one still remains.
But, the going hasn't been much easier for Brad since the loss of his long time mate almost six months ago, than it was for Joey a year ealier.
Though not attacked by other birds, Brad has not truly been accepted either.
Most of the time, when seeing Brad, he is swimming alone in the water. While he generally hangs out in the general vicinity of the wild mallards, he is not part of their flocks and if anything, seems somewhat intimidated by them.
I have wished for months that it was possible to secure a rescue and proper home for Brad, but despite calls to various sanctuaries and bird lovers, as well as pleas to Central Park, we are still at square one.
I truly doubt that whoever originally abandoned Brad and Angelina to Central Park years ago even foresaw a future like this one.
The snow is falling faster and heavier now.
But, all I can think about is this one lone and flightless duck abandoned on a park lake to face the merciless winter ahead.
A winter, that for all intensive purposes, seems to be already here. -- PCA
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