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A nice piece from the New York Times today:
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These days in Central Park, I rarely hear anything, save the occasional sounds of overhead helicopters or airliners.
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I am missing the migratory Canada geese, who for the past several weeks, made brief rest stops at the Jackie Onassis Reservoir en route to mysterious points further south from New York.
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It was a very exciting and exhilarating time, but all too brief and transitory.
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I don't anticipate seeing more geese at the Reservoir until such time lakes and ponds upstate ice over and the geese (and other waterfowl) are forced to search open water in NYC. (Usually, mid December or early January.)
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Thankfully, the Jackie Onassis Reservoir rarely freezes entirely over during the winter.
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In the past, upstate geese would also take up brief residence at Harlem Meer during the harshest days of winter -- providing there was some open water there.
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But, now with "Geese Police" patrolling all other Central Park water courses every day, it is unlikely any wintering geese would be allowed to stay at the Meer. -- A situation that would be very misfortunate for the four domestic ducks there for exactly one year now.
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With absence of large, heavy birds like geese (or even Hector, the swan who was at Harlem Meer last winter) to help break up thin sheets of forming ice and maintain some open water, the Meer is likely to become a solid block of ice and that would surely place the four flightless ducks in immediate peril.
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Mallards who are currently at the Meer have option to fly out when the going gets too tough and based on past experience, they surely will. (Only "Mister, Mister" the mallard with a broken wing would be, like the four domestics, forced to stay to be ultimately stranded on ice.)
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Should the Meer freeze over this winter, (as is highly probable under current circumstances), all five ducks would require immediate rescue -- something not easy to accomplish when waterfowl are huddled on ice.
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Additionally, a frozen lake often results in some irresponsible dog owners, allowing their dogs to freely run on the ice (a situation very dangerous for the dogs, as well as waterfowl).
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Three years ago, "Joey," a flightless, Pekin duck had to be rescued from the Meer when attacked and bitten by a dog apparently allowed to run on ice. The rescue was a difficult and precarious one for Park Rangers trying to navigate carefully on snow and thin ice to capture Joey as recorded in the videos below.
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Temperatures in New York City are predicted to fall below freezing by Thanksgiving, next week.
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Depending upon how long the cold spell, things could rapidly change at Harlem Meer.
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Already, the mallard population is significantly down from what it was more than a month ago as duck weed and other foods sources dwindle and/or slowly disappear.
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Perhaps it is no small wonder that I always feel sense of relief and gratitude when seeing Cochise, Carol, Connie and Conner (the four barnyard ducks) waddle up to me each night at the Meer.
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"My" duckies have survived another day and are OK!
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In the absence of immediate urgency and trauma, one has to be thankful for and appreciate the small things of life and the otherwise mundane.
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One learns in growing older and hopefully wiser, never to take anything for granted as, like the weather and seasons, things can often and rapidly change -- usually without warning. -- PCA
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