The Swan family is thriving!

We did go over to the boathouse today, and there was the entire swan family, all going fine. The cygnets are quite large - almost as big as the adults. They're still covered in soft gray down, but if you look closely (which they let us do), there are some white spines interspersed - the beginnings of their white flight feathers. It takes two years to become fully white, flying swans. Here's to their good health. Papa hissed a little when I came close, more to make a statement than to ward me off, I think. There was a small family giving them popcorn, so I'm sure they'll be well-fed. The six survivor geese from yesterday are still. The funny thing was about the ducks. All of them seem to be caramel colored, which are probably the female mallards. I didn't see a single mallard male! They're the ones with the pretty teal green heads. Could they have gotten rounded up with the geese? I hope not. Will keep on looking.

It was amazingly hot, even at 8:00 this morning. The Nethermead usually has a whole knot of people in the middle, chatting while their dogs play. Today, they were all smushed together at the far, shady end.

There will be a rally this evening to remember the geese - starting at 6:30 at the gazebo. That's the little house by the lake, across the road from the Vanderbilt Playground (the SE of the Park). FIDO has on it's website a nice summary of the responses, letters, what you can do to protest, etc., about the geese extermination. http://www.fidobrooklyn.org/geese.html Tupper Thomas says there's going to be a committee to look into what can be done about the geese in the future. At least that's what I think she's saying. It's hard to tell from the language in the letter.

Today was the start of the park's fishing competition. Not many participants so far - perhaps anger about the geese? Anyway, the secret of what is in those new storage containers was revealed - tables, chairs, little shelters, and lots and lots of fishing lines. Also some signs warning about how to fish without hurting the birds.

Rumor, Innuendo, Gossip & Hearsay Tidbits (RIGHT)
Haven't checked it out yet, but I heard that the Lakeside end of the Lake, with its new skating rinks and many plantings, is finally opened, and the Lake has been refilled at that end. There is a suspicion that protecting this area was one of the factors behind the geese extermination.