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It was last November when I first saw them.
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Since it was the season of bird migrations, I at first thought the four large and strange looking ducks on the water at Harlem Meer were temporary migratory visitors.
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But, they looked a bit straggly for migratory birds. Dirty, thin and one had what appeared to be, a twisted wing sticking up from the top of her back.
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As the days wore on, it was apparent the "migratory visitors" weren't going anywhere.
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Though at first they appeared very scared and practically "frozen" to the north side of the lake, as the days turned into weeks, the two black and two blonde ducks began to gain confidence and acclimate themselves to their new environment.
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But it was when observing them freely walking up to people and begging for handouts, that it became apparent that these were not wild "migratory" birds at all, but rather domestic (flightless) ducks apparently abandoned to Harlem Meer.
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It was around that time I took particular interest in the "barnyard" ducks that I would later name, "Cochise" (because of the wing feathers sticking up in the air), Carol, Connie and Carol. I assumed the two black ducks were male and the two blondes, female, but later learned (upon observance of behavior) that Cochise is actually a female and one of the blonde ducks, a male.
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Oh well. What's in a name anyway?
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Concerned for the fact the domestics ducks were incapable of flight and therefore unable to forage as wild ducks can, I took to bringing food supplements each night in the way of cracked corn and sunflower seeds for them.
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We were after all, fast approaching winter when natural food supplies dwindle and the birds need extra fat reserves to get them through the harsh and bitter weather.
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It didn't take long for the four domestics to take on a robust appearance far superior to the way they first looked when dumped at the Meer.
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Despite the many strikes against them, they appeared to be thriving.
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As seeming testimony to the smarts and adaptability of animals, the four domestic ducks initially bred for "meat" nevertheless managed to survive Hurricane Sandy, as well as numerous storms even before winter officially set in.
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One could not help but be impressed by their abilities to quickly learn on the fly, organize and stay together through the storms and somehow survive whatever nature had to dish out.
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By the early part of January temperatures plunged to below freezing and virtually all of the lake began to freeze over to solid ice.
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It was around that time that all but one mallard left for the still open waters of the Reservoir further south to Harlem Meer.
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Unfortunately, Cochise, Conner, Connie and Carol didn't have the option of taking flight from a frozen lake to seek out open water.
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But, they were fortunate to have the leadership of "Wiggly," one of the other two domestic ducks at Harlem Meer.
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Wiggly, her mallard boyfriend and Honker (the other domestic duck), showed Cochise and company exactly what they had to do in order to maintain a tiny pool of open water in an otherwise frozen lake.
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All seven ducks literally and vigorously swam 24/7 to prevent a bath tub sized of pool of water from becoming solid ice.
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So intent upon her duties to constantly swim without respite, Wiggly never came out of the water even to temporarily feed.
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At the time, there was also one swan at Harlem Meer.
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But, Hector was not one for any kind of "work."
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As long as Hector had human admirers coming by to feed him each day, he was content to let the ducks do all the hard labor. If things got too rough, Hector always had the option to leave.
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Fortunately, the weather eventually warmed a bit, the ducks (working together) succeeded in creating a larger pool of open water and some of the mallards returned.
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But, in February a severe snow storm hit NYC, the Meer froze over again and the domestic ducks were once again challenged.
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But, this time, before the mallards again checked out, a large gaggle of geese suddenly arrived to save the day!
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Between all the mallards and geese on the lake to work the water, the domestic ducks had it relatively easy compared to the earlier freeze in January when they just had themselves to rely on.
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Eventually, the bitter winds and cold of winter relented to finally give way to the arriving spring.
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But, this was when I began to seriously worry.
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As, in the past, it was always the spring and summer (rather than winter) that losses of known and loved ducks or geese would occur.
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These losses would occur mostly due to the heavier human activities occurring in the park during the warm seasons. The dangers of carelessly discarded fishing lines (or other tackle), illegal use of lead and off-leash predatory dogs present special hazards to waterfowl in public parks.
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Sure enough, we would not get through this spring without the losses of both, Wiggly and Honker, presumably to dog attacks.
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In May, a goose was spotted at Harlem Meer with fishing tackle ensnared around her bill. Although attempt was made to rescue the goose, it failed and she vanished from the Meer a short time later.
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By early summer, there was the additional loss of one of the two domestic ducks at the Boat lake -- also to a probable dog attack. To this day, her mate survives as a "low status" and now solitary duck.
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And of course, there was the death of Papa goose at the Boat Lake -- this time to a known dog attack and subsequent death to infection from a dog bite.
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I thus predicted that it was extremely unlikely that all four of the domestics ducks at Harlem Meer would ultimately survive the "mean seasons" of spring and summer.
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But, last night I was proved wrong.
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Summer officially ended yesterday and fall has begun.
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Last night, Cochise, Carol, Connie and Conner were all together in their usual places and all were fine.
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They not only survived the "mean seasons," but actually thrived through them.
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How exactly did they do it?
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1-- By constantly staying together through thick and thin and relying upon each other.
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2 -- Learning, adapting, and following the leadership of the more experienced domestic ducks at the Meer, Wiggly and Honker.
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3 -- Letting go of some of their dependence and over-trust upon humans and developing a sense of independence.
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Finally (but no less important), development of awareness and coping strategies for all the challenges and dangers that life in a public park and through the changing seasons present.
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And while there are no guarantees for the upcoming fall and winter (which, according to the Farmer's Almanac, is supposed to be severe in NYC), I am impressed and proud that Cochise, Conner, Carol and Connie have indeed made it through the "mean seasons."
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To put it mildly and simply, they did good. -- PCA
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