"Adaptability," The Canada Goose's Should-Be Middle Name

At long last, the migratory Canada geese finally pass through New York City.

Resting against the back drop of NYC skyline.

Ah, at last, a little shut-eye!

Four of the geese catch a little sleep, while one keeps watchful and alert eye.

Some may wonder why I haven't written of NYC's Canada geese in a while.

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That's because the main thrust of the fall migration hasn't occurred until this last week. 

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The Central Park Reservoir and other watercourses have been primarily goose-empty over the past few months with the exception of one resident goose family at the Boat Lake and a few skeins of early migratory geese who passed through NYC in September and October.

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But, there has been much bird activity (including many diving ducks and mallards) over the past week and it has been consistent.  

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Each night there has been anywhere from 40 to 100 geese who arrive at the CP Reservoir to briefly rest and who just as quickly depart by the following morning.  

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It's quite amazing to realize many (if not most) of the geese arrive here from places as far away as Labrador which is at the north east tip of Canada close to the Arctic. And New York City is only a temporary rest stop on a journey composed of thousands of miles to places far south of New York.

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It is perhaps no small surprise that most of the geese appear exhausted after their long and arduous trip. Most times the geese appear as statues in the water, barely moving. Other times a small group will turn their heads on their backs to try and catch a little shut eye while a designated flock or family member keeps vigilant watch for any danger or threat.

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Last month, a large gaggle of about 80 geese arrived to the Central Park Reservoir the night before the World Citizen rock concert was to be held at the nearby Great Lawn. There were loud "booms" bursting through the park as the bands rehearsed and I was certain the geese would be so spooked by what sounded like little earthquakes that they would immediately take off.

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But, the geese were apparently so tired and spent that they stayed throughout the raucous commotion and didn't leave until the next morning. It's apparently very necessary for migratory birds to replenish energy reserves before they can take off again.  

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Give credit to Canada geese for having the gumption to migrate through New York City in the first place. The skyscrapers, lights and noise seem like they would be enough to deter most migratory birds and indeed they do deter many species. But even though they may originate from obscure or rural places in the world, Canada geese are extremely adaptable -- even to rock concerts and fire work displays happening in the city at any given time.

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If nothing else, Canada geese are a very hearty and I daresay, courageous bird. Very little deters or actually terrifies them from doing what they have to do. As New York City is part of the Atlantic flyway, the geese come through here and neither snow, wind, rain, rock concerts or even rockets going off will dampen their enthusiasm or set them off course.

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But, apparently changes in weather patterns might actually alter the geeses timing of migrations. I am wondering if an unusually warm winter last year and mild summer and early fall this year has caused the seemingly late migration this year? Last year, most of the migratory geese passed through NYC in October. But we are late into November and most of the geese are only now arriving.

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I am not sure if that signals anything about what kind of winter we will have or if it just means geese take advantage of mild weather and don't willingly move until they have to.

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But, if true that the geese are good predictors of weather patterns, I am guessing that the next few weeks are suddenly going to turn a lot colder in New York City.

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And then we just wait for the late migratory geese and mallards who typically arrive in New York City in late December or even early January to actually winter here.

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Those are the ones who brace themselves for whatever kind of winter New York City will have. I hope for their sakes that this winter will be nothing like those of 2013 and 2014 in which thousands of waterbirds (mostly ducks) perished throughout the north east due to record snow falls, cold and subsequent starvation.

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Hoping for, if not a warm winter this year, at least a normal one. -- whatever "normal" means in a world undergoing indisputable climate change.   

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In any case, the Canada geese will figure it out.  Of that, I am reasonably confident, "adaptability" being the geese's should-be, middle name. -- PCA

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Two Sisters

 

Sweet Rebecca -- a picture of love and trust.

Not-so-sweet, sister, Suzie Q. "You can take me out of the alley, but you will NEVER take the alley out of me!"

All that said, Suzie nevertheless likes the easy trappings of life on a cozy cushion.

Recently, I rescued two "feral" cats who had been living in the alley in back of my building for years. (I had them spayed as juveniles.)

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Some of my Yuppie neighbors began complaining about the cats "meowing" disturbing them. Never mind that the cats kept rodents away and never mind that the same people who complained about "meowing" are the same ones who throw loud parties every weekend. It somehow became my "responsibility" to "do something" about the cats.

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But the two sisters are as different from each other as day is to night. This despite them sharing identical lives and the fact that both cats welcomed my petting and handling of them when living in the alley.

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I rescued Rebecca one rainy morning last March after she had been missing for more than a week. Her tail was severely dented, she had lost weight and was extremely filthy and dehydrated. Moreover, she looked like a drowned rat in the pouring rain. It didn't require much effort to scoop up the severely weakened cat in my arms and bring her to my apartment bathroom.  

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Rebecca recovered very rapidly over the following week. Though a little nervous at first, Rebecca responded very positively to my overtures to pick up and clean her off. Later, I discovered that she greatly enjoyed being held and nuzzled like a baby.

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What Rebecca didn't enjoy was being confined to the bathroom. She quickly let it be known that she wanted to explore the rest of the apartment and meet my other five cats.

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Surprisingly, Rebecca adapted very well to my other cats (and one dog then) and they to her. Rebecca was confident, but not intrusive. She respected the cat hierarchy in my home and issued no challenges. At the same time, she held her own and showed no fear. It seemed almost too good and too easy to be true as usually when new animals are introduced, there are many "adjustments" for both newcomer and resident animals.  

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But who Rebecca most bonded with was me.   

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"More dog than cat," Rebecca follows me around, never leaves me alone and demands constant attention and petting. She is far more affectionate than most cats raised in human homes since kittens.

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Enter her sister, Suzie.

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I rescued Suzie six weeks ago due specially to the neighbor complaints. She wasn't injured or ill. Rather, I just scooped her up one evening and put her in a cat carrier. Easy as cake.

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Initially, I put Suzie in a large cage so as not to overwhelm her with the other cats and the strangeness of a human home. But Suzie wanted no part of the cage -- or me -- and yowled her head off in protest. My few attempts to pet her in the cage were met with loud hisses and swats from her claws.

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After only a few days, I released Suzie from the confines of the cage mostly to shut her up and avoid neighbor complaints about the loud "meows" coming directly from my apartment.

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I need not have worried over Suzie getting along with my other cats. On the contrary, she was delighted to again be reunited with her sister, Rebecca and like Rebecca seemed to know instinctively how to blend into the cat hierarchy without being intrusive.  

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However, what has not been "easy as cake" or in any way similar to her sister, has been getting Suzie socialized to me! -- This from a cat who welcomed my petting in the alley and even allowed me to cut mats from her fur on occasion!

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I have not been able to touch Suzie even once over these past six weeks or even get close enough to.

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That is not to say Suzie has been shrinking in a corner or is loathe to her new surroundings. On the contrary, she enjoys sleeping on cushy cushions, free-feeding and sharpening her claws on furniture. And Suzie absolutely worships her sister, Rebecca, often rolling over for her and trying to solicit her sister in play.

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Only Rebecca has become a "human oriented" cat now and chooses mostly to ignore her long devoted and beseeching sister.  

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What has perhaps been amusing about this entire fiasco, is watching the utterly shocked and disdainful look on Suzie's face whenever her sister is nuzzling on my lap and soliciting my attention.

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"HOW could you sell yourself out so cheaply to some lowly human? Have you forgotten where you came from?"

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Suzie then half-closes her eyes and gives me a dirty look as if to say, "You can take me out of the alley, but you will NEVER take the alley out of me! I am a proud alley girl!"

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Well, Okay.

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My only hope now is that Suzie will eventually (albeit reluctantly) take the cues from her much beloved sister and come around to me.

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But I won't hold my breath waiting for that; stubbornness and pride seemingly the main character traits of Ms. Suzie Q.  -- PCA

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They Loved as Cat and Dogs

 

Dusty wooing Chance in Dec of 2014, two months following Tina's passing.

Forming bond.

Chance was a little slow to accept Dusty's overtures.

But, eventually Chance came around and the two became inseparable.

The past couple of weeks have been like an impenetrable fog that is hard to see through.

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Last week, I had to have my 16-year-old male cat, Dusty, euthanized due to acute renal failure. (The vet was very kind and ensured me I was doing the humane thing.)

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But it wasn't his kidneys or advanced age that ultimately killed Dusty. I believe it was a broken heart.

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Dusty had always loved dogs and for years, was extremely attached to my Corgi-mix, Tina. When Tina passed two years ago at the age of 21, Dusty took the loss much harder than my other dog, Chance. But over the months that followed, Dusty eventually cozied up to my reluctant Pomeranian and won over his heart. Eventually the cat and dog became inseparable love bugs.

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But, this past August, I had to have Chance put down due to incurable Lymphoma. The one worry I had at the time was how Dusty would take to the additional loss. Though I had four other cats and attempted to give Dusty extra attention, he seemed to retreat into himself. The love of his life suddenly gone, Dusty spent most of his time sleeping on Chance's old doggie bed as it presumably still contained of the dog's scent.

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Unfortunately, over the past several weeks, Dusty (who had always been a healthy cat), suddenly spiraled down. Loss of weight, dehydration and sudden consumption of water were signs of the obvious. Cataracts suddenly appearing over his eyes, made my 16-year-old cat appear ancient.

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For some days I debated with myself on whether to take Dusty to my vet in hope there were miracle treatments that could magically reverse the signs of rapid aging and seriously declining health. But, it was also his behavior that gave me pause. Put simply, I didn't have the sense that Dusty wanted extreme measures to prolong his life. Though Dusty still responded to me when called, he did not seek petting or comforting. It was almost as if he had made conscious decision to let go. Truth was, there were no "miracle treatments" that could bring back the two lost loves of Dusty's life.

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So, is was with extreme heavy heart and dread that I finally took Dusty to the Animal Medical Center at the crack of dawn last week for the inevitable. (Thankfully at that time in the morning, there are no crowds or having to wait.)

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The AMC staff and vets were very kind. I was able to stay with and gently hold Dusty through the administering of (first) anesthesia to put him to sleep and then the lethal solution to peacefully end his life. I am quite sure he did not feel anything other than perhaps a strange relief to be released from any pain or emotional suffering he had been experiencing.

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As I gave Dusty a last kiss good-bye, I prayed for the fog to lift and the sun to shine through to some special spiritual world where he can again be young and whole and reunite with the two great loves of his life, Tina and Chance. I pictured the two dogs and one cat romping happily together on some grassy field where the pains and limitations of earth are a million miles away.

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As I walked home that morning embracing and reflecting upon the loss I had just experienced, I thought to myself, Don't ever let anyone tell you that an animal doesn't grieve or cannot die from a broken heart. For sure, they can and do.

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Peace be with you, Dusty as your friends await; their only question being, "What took you so long?"  -- PCA

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