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"There was an old lady who lived in a shoe. Had so many kids, didn't know what to do."
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The nursery rhyme came to mind the other night when witnessing a scene at Harlem Meer in Central Park.
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But, more about that later......
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Earlier this spring, I would not have given two plug nickels that all four of the domestic ducks at Harlem Meer would survive the spring and summer.
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By mid spring we had already lost three of the eight domestic ducks in Central Park -- most likely due to off-leash, in water dog attacks (which is also what ultimately killed Papa goose at the Boat Lake this summer).
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Although the summer is not yet over, Connie, Cochise, Carol and Conner have so far demonstrated that they are not only smart and adaptable, but also, extremely cautious and wary.
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(Put simply, the four ducks are no longer great risk takers -- unlike the early days of last November when first dropped off at the Meer and the gregarious, human imprinted, quackers walked up to everyone and took unlimited chances.)
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As previously noted, the four "barnyard" (flightless) ducks have continually stayed at the fenced-in, protected area near the Dana Discovery Center since the beginning of spring.
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They can either read the "No Fishing in this Area" signs or have figured out that the small grassy patch was the only real "safe" place at the Meer in terms of providing protection from off leash dogs and the dangers of fishing tackle.
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But, unfortunately, the flightless ducks don't always have access to their "safe place."
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That is because the water at the lake tends to stagnate in the summer causing overgrowths of duck weed and algae.
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Apparently, in effort to try and keep the lake fresh and moving, Central Park periodically drains some of the water out and refills.
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When that occurs, the water level drops temporarily and Connie, Carol, Cochise and Conner are unable to fly (or jump) the one or two feet necessary to get them up on the grassy embankment by the Dana Center.
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For several days at a time, they are entirely confined to the water.
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I have wondered, when seeing the four ducks seemingly forced to swim 24/7 why they don't simply move to a different location?
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There are a few areas around the Meer that are sloped (such as the sandy "beach" area to the east) and would provide the ducks easy access to land and rest.
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But, apparently the wary quackers have deemed those areas too "unsafe" to take risks and so they choose to stay in the water.
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Being "barnyard" ducks, one imagines that constant swimming in water is not a natural or desirable state for them.
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It always distresses me to see this and yet I realize too, that Cochise and company are not without options if they choose to take them.
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They just don't.
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But, last night I got some answer to this riddle.
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When walking around the sandy "beach" area, I noted a Golden Retriever swimming vigorously in the water.
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Some time later, when the owner finally called his dog out and put the leash on, I slowly approached him.
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"Excuse me," I said softly. "May I ask you a question?"
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The young man cautiously looked at me. "Sure."
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"Is your dog aggressive towards ducks? I ask, because we have lost two domestic ducks here this spring and there is a mallard with a broken wing. I suspect the loss and injury due to predatory dogs as there are no natural predators here."
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"My dog likes to chase ducks, but she is not so fast to actually catch them."
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"The ducks I am talking about cannot fly." I replied.
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"The ducks are usually able to swim away." the young man said, but then added, "But, she might rough one up, if getting to it."
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Trying to avoid confrontation, I replied, "Look, your dog seems like a very nice dog, but other people seeing your dog in the water might get the same idea and perhaps their dog would kill a duck. We had to rescue a duck here two years ago, who almost died from a deep dog bite on his back. A few weeks ago, a goose died as result of an infected dog bite."
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The young man thought for a few seconds and then conceded, "I know its against the rules, but she really loves to swim."
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"I understand she's a Golden Retriever and loves water, but the park is trying to protect its waterfowl. That's what the rule is for. I hope you can understand and respect that."
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I was not sure what to expect when walking up to this man and confronting him on the matter of his dog being in the water and chasing off all the ducks.
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Some dog owners get very angry when one tries to point these things out.
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But, perhaps the fact I was walking my own two dogs helped to diffuse a potentially difficult situation.
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I stressed to the man that I too loved dogs, but also felt responsibility towards the other animals in Central Park.
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One cannot be sure, but I am hopeful he understood that. At the very least, the man was aware of the rules and seemed to feel some compunction about breaking one of them.
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But, if I had wondered why the four domestic ducks never go to the sandy beach area when the water level is lowered at Harlem Meer, I got my answer last night.
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They would be absolute fools and dog fodder to do so.
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It was, after all, this very area that Honker (one of the two Khaki Campbell domestic ducks who tragically vanished this spring) used to hang out.
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The sandy area of Harlem Meer is of course, also the area that Cago, the loner Canada goose at the Meer since this past June frequently stayed over the past two months.
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But, in recent days, Cago too, has returned to the grassy, protected area by the Dana Center -- especially since the water level was again raised to normal levels and the four domestic ducks were able to regain access.
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In fact, it seemed all the ducks of the Meer and Cago were there the other night.
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The scene was actually quite funny.
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Cago, standing dignified and proud like the Canada goose she is, surrounded by a bunch of loud, raucous and cantankerous quackers. One could almost hear Cago thinking, "Good grief! What did I do to deserve all the squawkers?"
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There was an old woman who lived in a shoe. Had so many kids, didn't know what to do."
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But, last night the scene was different.
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It was just Cago and her pals, Conner, Cochise, Carol and Conner -- all resting comfortably together on the grassy, fenced in, embankment. Perhaps they all had enough and chased the noisy, boisterous mallards to the south side of the lake in order to finally get rest.
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And on the east side of Harlem Meer last night, a Golden Retriever swam vigorously in the water, all the ducks and one goose smartly staying away.
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No offense, but hopefully, it was the Retriever's last swim. -- PCA
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