Wednesday, July 22, 2015

One of Central Park Reservoir Goslings in Jeopardy


Binky -- a gosling on constant move and in jeopardy now.
The family four nights ago when reunited again.
Now that they can fly again, the other geese are departing the Reservoir.
Mom and Dad with two of their fast growing goslings.
 
At least half the molting geese at the Central Park Reservoir have regained their flight feathers and immediately departed over the past two days. It is anticipated the rest will soon follow as the geese are eager to move on.
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Geese who won't soon be moving on are, however, the family as the seven-week-old goslings are not yet ready to fly and won't be for at least several more weeks.
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Sadly, there is troubling news to report on the family.
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One of the four goslings pulled up lame over the past week.
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"Binky" (my name for him) has not been able to come up on or walk the jagged rocks and over the past two days, has drifted away from the rest of the family on the water -- presumably while they were roosting or resting on the rocks.
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The last time I saw Binky two nights ago, he was with the family and appeared to be getting a little stronger in the hurt leg. I felt encouraged when seeing him briefly stand at the water's edge of the rocks -- something not observed in the previous three days.  But such hope and optimism might have been premature.
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(As previously noted, it is nearly impossible to rescue a hurt or sick bird at the Reservoir, due to lack of access to both pedestrians and park rangers.  In this particular case, one would also need a boat as Binky was/is always in the water. )
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Not seeing the lame gosling for two days (despite three trips around the Reservoir), I thought Binky might have perished, but two other bird observers reported seeing him swimming alone, far away from the family -- including as late as last night.
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I am concerned for Binky for several reasons, most notably, the separation from his family, but also because the geese's main food sources (plants and reeds) and opportunities for rest are on the rocks -- which of course, Binky can't access.
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Unless something rapidly changes, the outlook for Binky's survival is grim. It is not so much the injury that is life threatening nor is there large presence of predators around the Reservoir.  But, goslings do need to be with the families and they need healthy quantities of food and rest. None of these Binky is getting now (assuming he is still alive) nor is there any means for me (or anyone I know) to personally rescue him.
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(I should add that four nights ago, Binky had also drifted away from the family, but I was able to "herd" him back to his parents and siblings. All was fine for the time being, but did not last.  Unfortunately, with all the dense foliage surrounding the Reservoir, I have not been able to spot Binky over past two days. One has to hope the family reconnects on its own on the mile and a quarter watercourse.)
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The Central Park Reservoir is one of the safest and most peaceful places in New York City for migratory geese to rest and for molting geese to undergo the four-to-five week period they are without flight feathers. There are no dogs at the Reservoir, no fishing and no harassment conducted.
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But, in terms of bountiful grass and food supplies, the Reservoir is lacking and for any injured or sick bird, it is like a watery or icy graveyard.  At least ten water-birds virtually starved to death at the Reservoir this past winter when it was iced over and there were no means to rescue any of the suffering birds.
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I hope Binky isn't going to be our first casualty at the Reservoir this summer.
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As noted so many times, the hope for future resident Canada geese at Central Park lies with these four goslings who miraculously hatched this past Memorial Day.
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But now, one of those little miracle lives is already in serious jeopardy -- as all three goslings were lost at the Reservoir last summer. -- PCA
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8 comments:

Nicole said...

Hi Patty, thanks for the update. I was at the Reservoir today and saw Binky. He was alone sitting on the edge of the water rock. I threw some food but he was unable to walk up onto the rocks. I also saw the family in the distance. They did swim over to the area where he was, but shortly swam away.

I took some videos to share. The first is of him sitting alone,
https://sendvid.com/09iogi34

the second is when the family swam over
http://sendvid.com/naqg4fgo

hope hes going to be ok

PCA said...

Hi Nicole. Thanks for report. Where exactly did you see Binky? (North side, South side, East or West?) My friend and I looked yesterday and could not find him. Did he eat anything when you threw the food? Were you able to see his legs at all? Was he sitting down or standing? I am so worried for him, but cannot find him in last three days.

Nicole said...

He was right before you reach the South Gate house coming from the north. If you go to 1:20 in my video https://sendvid.com/09iogi34 i pan over a little and you can see where it is on the reservoir.

He was able to eat without any problems but was frustrated that he was unable to climb the rocks. His leg was clearly bothering him as i saw him shaking it. I'm not too sure if he was sitting or standing on the rock because the water covered it.

i hope this helps

PCA said...

Thank you so much, Nicole for sharing the videos and information. I watched the videos and he clearly seems to be standing on rock -- which is good sign. Not good is that he still cannot walk on rocks and doesn't go with the family. I could not tell if he was eating in videos, but you say he was. That too, is a postive sign. Very frustrating that I have been around Reservoir 4 times have not seen him once. (I in fact, passed this area last night as did someone else.) Binky is obviously moving around, but it seems to be a matter of luck and timing to see him. Again, thank you so much for sharing the videos and info. I guess we have to hope he is getting enough to eat and in process of healing. It's good that he is able to rest and not have to be swimming in water constantly. If you go by again, please share what you observe. Thanks!

Nicole said...

I hope he will be ok being alone there. I gave him food before i took the video and he seemed fine eating. Hopefully you'll be able to see him there. The past couple of times I saw the family, I only saw 3 goslings so I assumed something happened. I'll let you know if I see him again. Thanks for all the info. :)

PCA said...

Hi Nicole, Thanks again for all your feedback.

Despite numerous trips around the Reservoir, I have not been able to spot Binky. The last reported sighting are your videos.

Please let us know if you see him again. This is so sad. :(

Nicole said...

Hi Patty, No I haven't seen him again. I hope somehow he is ok. Just very sad.

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