Little Warmth of Heart for the Weary and the Frozen?

Most of the geese and mallards sitting to warm fast freezing legs last night in below zero wind chills.

As a mallard scratches ice off himself, the little female wood duck sandwiches herself between the ducks and geese to try and eat and conserve body heat.

 The good news yesterday was that I saw no dead bodies on the ice at the Central Park Reservoir.

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The bad news was that all the water birds were clearly suffering in the single digit temperatures and below zero wind chills.

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Both, the geese and mallards had difficulty flying through the powerful winds and walking was even more taxing on the bitterly frigid ice. The geese and ducks could not stand or walk for more than a few seconds before having to squat down to warm their feet and legs. Several of the geese were limping. A number of the geese and mallards did not even make it to the area I was tossing food, though all attempted.

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Last night one coot made it over quickly to grab a couple of morsels of nourishment, but then immediately flew back to the "warmth" and safety of a small pool of open water.

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So brutal was it last night, that none of the mallards flew up to the running track to grab loose food pellets that had fallen. Like the geese, they mostly sat down and stretched their necks out to eat as much as they could, as fast as they could. Even the little female wood duck, sat frozen on the ice, rather than venturing on the snowy embankment as she usually does to get an advantage for food.

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We lost three birds on Saturday.  A coot, a mallard and a goose. These are only the birds I'm aware of (going to the location twice a day now). But, I don't stay long as one simply cannot linger in a deep freeze for any amount of time. For both the birds' sake and my own, I am there and gone quickly.

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A couple of days ago, I posted a request on the New York Birders Facebook page that others pitch a helping hand to the struggling waterfowl on our frozen lakes and ponds during this unusually bitter spell. Several people countered that "nature should take its course" and that it is only the "weak" or mentally unfit that will perish. That may be true, but it seems a bit callous and cold hearted -- especially when there is opportunity to aid suffering wildlife through an unusually harsh period. Would these same people walk by a bird entangled in fishing line and say, "let nature take its course?"  Many scientists are making the argument that it is human actions and footprint that are causing most of the extreme fluctuations in weather and destructive impacts to wildlife. (i.e. climate change.)  So should we not counterbalance some of that destruction by helping the animals when we can? 

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Ironically, birders are among the people who most bitterly complain about cats killing birds. But, many would sooner see a bird starve on a frozen lake than offer a food pellet. Something seems a bit contradictory in that. One could, after all, argue that when a cat kills a bird, it is "nature taking its course" or "natural selection" -- the bird must have been weak or mentally unfit.

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Anyway, I am whining. Perhaps I am simply vexed and frustrated seeing so many photographers and birders taking advantage of the birds coming to me for food to take opportunistic photos for themselves. Said I to one a few days ago, "Gee, its nice to take photos, but can't you offer them a little food during these tough times?"

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One of the few pleasantries of the past two particularly brutal days, is that I did not encounter such people with their huge cameras and peering eyes or I might have said, "You want to know where the dead bodies are?" 

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Despite all the stresses, there was something blissfully, if not mournfully peaceful about the past two days.  

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Still, today will be worse.

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It is currently 3 degrees and I have no idea on what to expect in a few hours. I just pray that all my little friends will still be safe and alive as there is hope around the bend.  

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By next Saturday, we should be back up to near freezing in New York City. -- PCA

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