The Great Prospect Park Ice Break-up

There are beautiful cracks in the ice, as the open water areas are getting bigger and bigger. Lullwater is still completely frozen, but the big lake and the Boat House area are clearing. Mama and Papa swan have moved over the the Boathouse area, while the cygnets are still in the big lake, swimming about in pairs, heads frequently going under to feast in all the newly-de-iced areas, and those veggie goodies now within reach. Took me three tries to get a nice shot of a pair of cygnets. Just as I went click, a head went under. Patiently waited till it came up, just as I went click again, the other head went under.

Soccer players in the Parade Grounds again! Dressed rather warmly, but determined to declare that it is spring and they will act accordingly!

It was perfect "dog in the park" weather - a bit cold, and the ground was firm. We ran JJ and Chewie back and forth across the Nethermead about 10 times, and then a little more at the Peninsula. We saw Tony from FIDO at the Peninsula, and I got to thinking how incredibly lucky we are to have FIDO and the off-leash hours. At other places in the city, especially in Manhattan, there are dog runs the size of shoeboxes, complete with waiting lists, size limitations, interviews and testing to see if your dog would be acceptable, etc. Here in Prospect Park, we've got three gorgeous, giant areas for dogs to run free, and at reasonable times. Well, I think up to 9AM is reasonable, since my "stay up late, sleep to noon" days are long over.

Tony says it was actually Tupper Thomas who officially instigated the off-leash hours. I am not her biggest fan, but this is a good thing she did. Life would be so much simpler if we could clearly state that people were either good or evil. Damn, they're much more complicated than that. Requires thinking. Brain hurting....
Ber says he heard that the off-leash hours were started because the Park was considered very dangerous. The off-leash hours were started to bring lots of people and dogs to the park, and make it a safer place. One of those cheap and easy solutions that actually work (so rare!) Got to give people credit for good ideas.

Up to Lookout Hill again today, marginally less huffing and puffing. Spruced up the top by putting assorted cans and bottle in the trash. Four or 3 1/2 crack bags, depending on how you're counting them - one was tiny (see photo).

Note to PattyA I am one of your followers and read your blog regularly, just haven't commented. Thanks for your interest/support/love of wildlife.

Raccoon gone, maggots remain

Another stunningly beautiful day in the park, so much so that I got nervous. This seems to be permanent reaction to stunningly beautiful days, ever since 9/11, which was just such a stunningly beautiful day, weather-wise, but let's not go there today. They were setting up for filming a commercial at the Peninsula meadow. Lots of lighting and camera gear and the stunt flowers. Tony said it was for a Bulgarian shampoo, so we guessed that the models with the long flowing hair will arrive later. Well, maybe the feline models - we noticed that the equipment bins were marked "Cat's Eye Shampoo," which seems to be cat hair shampoo.

The dead raccoon was finally gone, but the maggots remain - not a great clean-up job. This is worrisome because all kinds of small children arrive at Peninsula Meadow after 9 AM when the dogs leave. Strollers and toddlers, and I don't think their care-givers want them to play with maggots.

The e-mail chatter about the dead raccoon was something. If these people put 1/2 the time into doing their jobs as they do e-mailing about it...Here's how it went:

10 AM Wednesday: Ber e-mailed P.J. Greiner, Maura Hegarty, P. Pereria and E. Patron, all of the Parks. Dept., about the existence and location of the dead raccoon. These are names of people we got last winter, when there seemed to be a plague of dead animals. "Let us know, we can take care of it," they all said. Greiner is out until 10/16, Pereria is on a 6 months leave of absence as of 9/19, and Patron never replied at all. Hegarty forwarded the e-mail to the Sarah Aucoin of the Urban park Rangers at 10:13 (very promptly!).

2:14: Aucoin e-mailed Eugene Patron (who had ignored Ber's original e-mail) asking if this was the same raccoon found on Monday. Patron immediately (at 2:34) e-mailed one Josephine Pittari wondering what Sarah was talking about and if there was more than one dead raccoon this week.

3:38 (still Wednesday): Pittari e-mailed and cc's the following people: Mark Levit, Venice Smith, Tupper Thomas, Sarah Aucoin, Anna Wong, John Jordan, M. Coba, Eugene Patron, E. Landau, and Ber asking that 1) the dead raccoon be found and picked up and 2) the earlier report of a dead raccoon turned out to be a dead rat.

As mentioned yesterday, dead raccoon was still in situ at 9:00 Thursday, demarcated by two orange traffic cones.

Thursday, 4:53 PM: Pittari e-mails everyone that the dead raccoon was located, but was too deteriorated to be tested. The maggots are not mentioned.

Kudos to Ms. Pittari, who actually did something. Do any of these people ever come out of their offices to look at the park?

We took two dogs - JJ and Chewy to the Park today, and everyone had a great time.