Under Cover of Darkness, They Fly and Gently Land

Depressed, I was about to turn away and leave when suddenly a flock of nine flew in and landed gently on the water.

And then the geese were joined by a flock of mallards.

While it was painful to witness all three goslings perish at the Reservoir this summer and assume it was due to natural predation, it is stunning and sickening to realize they were doomed from day one due to the "Get the Flock Out!" goose harassment and egg destruction policies of Central and other NYC parks. (See previous blog entries.)

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Tonight I looked out over a silent and desolate, Jackie Onassis Reservoir with no water birds on it.

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Depressed and feeling hopeless, I turned to leave when suddenly a flock of 9 geese flew in and landed on the water to roost for the evening.

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Less than a minute after the geese enthusiastically arrived, a flock of mallards also flew in and landed close to the geese.  (This after USDA "Wildlife Services" claimed that one of the reasons they killed all the geese at PP in 2010 was because they kept out the ducks. What an outrageous lie that is.) 

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They are all in a battle for their lives in New York City and the geese and mallards seem to know it. 

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And yet, with perennial determination and will to carry on, they float wistfully through clouds and with the cover of darkness, to gently land on water and joyfully announce, "We are here! We are here!"

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Hope springs eternal -- even through the otherwise madness, intolerance and blindness of our own species. -- PCA 

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