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Of more than 40 Canada goose eggs laid in Central Park last year, only one gosling hatched to still survive nearly a year later.
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I call him, "Sunny", the miracle (and only surviving) offspring of Man and Lady who are again nesting at the Boat Lake. Lady has been on her nest for nearly a month now, with eggs due to hatch any day. But, from past experience and Central Park's long history of destroying goose eggs, it's unlikely any eggs actually will.
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Last year, Lady nested three times before two eggs finally hatched in early July. But, Sunny's sibling did not make it back with the family this spring. Either she perished over the harsh winter or possibly mixed into another flock.
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Sunny is usually alone on the lake these days as both mom and dad are busy with nesting duties. But yesterday morning, Dad took a little time from guarding his mate to actually spend a few moments with his juvenile son.
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It was nice to see the two geese together again. Usually, because he is alone, Sunny is towards the bottom of the goose hierarchy at the Boat Lake as the other six geese are grouped into pairs. But, yesterday both he and dad claimed top billing once again and gently razzed other geese from the area. I strongly suspect and felt that Sunny was happy once again and clearly enjoying the confidence that only a parent can provide. It was a sweet moment in time.
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Sadly, what does not represent sweet moment in time is the nearly waterbird-empty and desolate appearance of virtually all of Central Park's lakes and ponds.
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It is almost shocking to note hardly any waterbirds at all at Turtle Pond, Harlem Meer, The Pond and very few at the Reservoir and Boat Lake.
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In an 843 acre park, we currently have less than 15 geese and probably less than 30 to 40 mallards.
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One wonders, what exactly accounts for such anemic numbers?
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As far as Canada geese, there is little mystery to why their numbers are so low in Central Park. A nearly year-round program of harassment and egg addling has succeeded in drastically reducing the population from hundreds just a few years ago to less than 15 now.
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Mallards and other waterbirds however, are more questionable.
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One can speculate that in the early spring, other waterbirds might seek more quiet and peaceful areas for nesting than the heavily human populated areas of Central Park. This seems plausible on some levels.
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But, considering that when robust spring populations of geese and mallards did exist in Central Park, few of them actually nested, this theory is seriously called into question. From personal observances, it seems mainly the high status geese and ducks who actually attempt to reproduce. Nesting is quite taxing on the birds and apparently not all of them are up to it -- even when paired off.
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The other question or more likely theory that pops to mind concerns the long range impacts of nearly year-round goose harassment on the other waterbird populations.
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The truth is, that no species exists in a vacuum as this recent New York Times article illuminates http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/19/science/decoding-the-cacophony-of-birds-warning-calls.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0. "Alarm calls" of one species of bird will impact, not just other birds, but apparently even other animal species.
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Thus it is difficult to think that deliberately causing threat, fright and destruction to Canada geese specifically would not also impact and stress other birds in an area. -- Especially mallards as they generally like to congregate around geese presumably for the extra measure of security and early warning system of danger. When geese send out distress calls, other birds listen. (I observed that personally in 2010 when geese were harassed at Harlem Meer by "Geese Relief." The distress honks of the geese incited all the other waterbirds on the lake to fly out with them. Those included, mallards, shovelers, coots and even the one swan who was there at the time.)
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In essence, though we might attribute some of the low number of waterbirds in Central Park presently to be related to natural nesting behaviors, this fails to represent the main explanation for nearly bird-empty watercourses. Rather, continued harassment, egg destruction and general depredation against migratory birds across the country appear to hold the greater validity for disappearing bird numbers. Hundreds of thousands of migratory birds of all types are in fact, killed throughout the country every year under special "depredation permits" issued by our government (including 92,000 Canada geese in just the past two years). This, despite so-called, "protections" under the Migratory Bird Act Treaty of 1918. Shot and gassed: Thousands of protected birds killed annually | Reveal.
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In New York City alone, more than 5,000 Canada geese have been captured by USDA Wildlife Services since 2009 and either gassed or slaughtered. https://www.facebook.com/GooseWatchNYC/photos/pb.175344192544178.-2207520000.1432141782./819033344841923/?type=1&theater
(This number doesn't even take into account the thousands of eggs smashed or prevented from hatching in places like Central Park.)
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One needs to consider the impacts of such destructive policies across the board, not just on Canada geese, but all other waterbirds who routinely congregate with and around them. Are we seriously heading toward waterbird-empty parks, lake and ponds? It is surely beginning to appear that way.
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With all these grim realities in mind, it is small wonder to consider Sunny the "miracle" goose of Central Park.
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The question is, will he be the last to ever successfully hatch there? -- PCA
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