Cayuga is injured

Well, this is really the bad news first. We spotted Cayuga with his entourage, and were glad to see him. but later, when we ran into Anne and Ed, they remarked on how injured he looked, so we went back to see. He has a red pellet looking thing on the side of his head. Could it be some kind of blister? Is it some kind of BB pellet? Are some people taking potshots with their air rifles? Is this what's been killing off the other animals? Cayuga does not look good - bedraggled and thin- and his entourage is being very solicitous. He can't straighten out his neck. Ed tried to give him popcorn, but he couldn't straighten his neck to get it. So he's certainly hungry. Whatever it is, it is possible that the injury will heal and he'll be fine. I certainly hope so. Cayuga is quite well-known at Prospect Park. He is the only duck of his kind living there, and the only black duck, which makes him stand out. He is always mentioned amongst birders, and kids love him because he is so recognizable. It's really sad to think that someone was using him for target practice. We can only hope for the best.

Other, more positive sighting: Filming in the park. They're filming for a forthcoming Smurf movie at the Boathouse. They've turned into a steak restaurant for the filming, and decorated with plastic flowers. I asked if we'd see giant smurfs walking around. No, all CGI. Though the kid (keeping pedestrian and canine traffic out of the filming zone) realized I was not of his generation and said "computer generated." Is there any cartoon or comic not being made into a movie? Whatever happened to originality. These films are all terrible and almost all make tons of money, so I guess there's no real incentive for originality,

Swans still nesting. Papa went after my sneaker. There's a hard-to-see egret behind mama - enlarge the picture and you can sort of see it.

Only two crack bags today on the steps to Lookout Hill. One is a very pretty shade of pink. Fewer users or the result of several very windy days blowing away the things? Probably the latter. No cans or bottles. We are not the only ones picking up trash. Hallelujah!!

Not directly park related, but instead of coming back and cooking breakfast, we went to our friend Nona's yard, which is a jungle of roses, with breakfast sandwiches for all 3 of us from the fabulous John's Bakery on Cortelyou. Breakfast in the Rose Garden!!! A fantastic way to honor our 36th Anniversary, which is today.