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It was both, surprising and unsurprising yesterday, to find the Jackie Onassis Reservoir in Central Park still comprised of mostly open water. Surprising because all of the other Central Park lakes and ponds have all but iced over in the past few days of frigid temperatures and light snowfall. Unsurprising because the Reservoir is deeper than other watercourses and the area surrounding it, much more windy.
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The high winds apparently caused the water to be in perpetual motion -- choppy, with briskly moving currents., thereby making it harder for the Reservoir to freeze over.
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The geese, ducks, shovelers and occasional coots returned to the Reservoir, presumably for this reason. Though not the greatest location for food supplies and reasonably calm weather conditions, it is virtually the only park site now with still open water.
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But, it is suspected that will likely change over the next week as winds calm and temperatures level out.
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In a normal winter, three quarters of the Reservoir will ice over, causing all the birds to congregate tightly in the areas still remaining open. Last winter, however, all the Reservoir froze to a solid block of ice and all the water birds were forced to evacuate and abandon by early February.
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I am hoping the same doesn't occur this year, but it is too soon to tell.
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For the moment, the Reservoir is temporary home to more than 100 Canada geese, a comparable number of mallards, some groups of Northern shovelers, a few coots and lots of seagulls.
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All are seemingly quite desperate for food.
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The seagulls and mallards are particularly quick and adept at swooping down or darting in to grab any sunflower seeds, cracked corn or bits of bread tossed out. Geese and ducks are particularly wary of seagulls, whose sharp bills and somewhat aggressive nature can spell injury in any contest over food, so they quickly defer to the gulls. Coots appear to be a little shy and wary of everything so they put up no battles for food. But if lucky to be in the right place at the right time, they are happy to grab an errant piece of bread and scoot off with it, particularly careful to prevent another coot from stealing it.
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Meanwhile, the shovelers mind their own business and usually stay focused on swimming in circles to skim off any aquatic plants or insects just below the water surface.
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For now, its a fairly peaceable kingdom, but with obvious hierarchy with the intimidating gulls appearing to be at the very top of it. For their part, geese will occasionally peck and push the pesky mallards away, but the mallards are so fast and determined, it makes little difference in the long run. Geese on the other hand (being larger and heavier than other water birds) are particularly helpful in breaking up thin sheets of ice as they form. -- Perhaps one reason why so much of the Reservoir is still open water. Still, there comes a point in weather and wind conditions, where even the geese are helpless to stop the inevitable. Such is time then for all the water birds to simply pack up and move on -- as most have already done from the other frozen park lakes and ponds.
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Today, temperatures are predicted not to rise above the mid-20's in New York City. Another bone-chilling day, so to speak, but unpredictable in terms of what to expect when going to the Reservoir later today.
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I have to learn to not make any predictions.
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Rather, I will simply hope not to find it a solid block of ice and all my treasured birds still there -- yes, even those feisty and all too quick and adept, seagulls. After all, they are pretty to look at and they need to survive too. -- PCA
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