Friday, April 26, 2019

Greta Hanging Tough in Hostile Environment




There has been very little good news regarding NYC park wildlife over the past year. Dead raccoons, dead goslings, dwindling food sources and dwindling wildlife all around.

Add to that, the campaign to criminalize all people who dare give a peanut to a squirrel or piece of bread to a duck.

The wildlife, "should go to Long Island to find food sources" as one Audubon representative and ban supporter recently put it.

 Nevertheless, there is some good news.

Greta did not abandon or lose her eggs, after all.  She is still on her nest.

The two geese photographed standing on rocks at the Jackie Onassis Reservoir earlier in the week (and mistaken for Hansel and Greta) are, in fact, new arrivals.

It's unusual for new geese to enter into territories of established  nesting pairs and thus, such was not anticipated.  One suspects the new geese may have been harassed from some other location by Geese Police or could be adult kids of Hansel and Greta from a few years ago. In either case, I am surprised Hansel has not chased the pair out.

There are a few plants and blades of grass struggling to grow through the barren landscape at the Reservoir now.  But not enough to sustain two goslings, let alone a potential dozen. (Three nesting pairs in total.)

Matters are still grim, but it is at least good news that Greta and Hansel are OK. It would have been extremely ominous had Greta actually abandoned her eggs. Geese don't walk away from eggs unless something is seriously wrong -- which is why I was so worried for her.

In other parts of Central Park, wildlife matters continue on a downward spiral.

My friend, Liliana went to the row boat Lake today, hoping to feed her two special geese (Man and Lady) and two mallards that were there last week. But none of the birds were present. (This also suggests that Geese Police might be operating in Central Park again -- despite very few geese being there.)

Granted, Liliana is not able to walk around the entire lake. But she gets a pretty good view from the Ladies Pavilian. She saw no ducks or geese at all on the entire north side of lake.

That is shocking news as usually there is a lively group of mallards hanging around the Pavilion this time of year.

Also, only two squirrels observed and very few smaller birds.

Maybe the wildlife really is venturing over the bridges to Long Island, after all?

NYC Parks are clearly unwelcoming environments.  Instead of red carpets, they roll out Geese Police vans, demolition squads, No Feeding signs and pesticides.

Hang tough, Greta, hang tough.

                 .                      .................




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