Fall, dead raccoon, and the swan family parade

A perfect fall day yesterday. The tips of some trees are starting to change color, and an invigorating spirit in the air. We saw the swan family, gliding in single file from the lake, around the Peninsula, and up to the lullwater. It was a fine day for a family expedition.

Alas, there was a dead raccoon on the Peninsula. When we got back, Ber e-mailed 4 people in the Parks Dept, asking for the results of the rabies testing. They are supposed to test every dead raccoon - it's their policy. BUT, when there was a dead raccoon last year, it was not tested. After many e-mails asking about the results of any rabies testing, Ber finally got a response saying that, although such testing is their policy, the Park workers who took the raccoon away didn't know about it. Sounds like the tree falling in the empty forest. If the people who are supposed to carry out the policy don't know about it, does the policy really exist? Anyway, today the raccoon was still there, maggots and all, but there were two orange cones demarcating it.

The Vanderbilt Playground is finally open, and there were a couple of kids playing in it. The most exciting part is a sort of geodesic dome climber, with a network of rope inside for climbing. Looks great! Can't wait to see kids on it. Years ago,I took my kids to Sesame Place, where they have (had?) a huge network of rope ladders, tunnels, etc., for climbing. I had as much fun as they did.

Not sure when I can bring pictures back. My computer got invaded and crashed. I'm now on an old laptop and gradually learning how to use it. My fabulous daughter is trying to resuscitate the desktop. We'll see. If she can't we'll either get a new one or wipe the hard-drive clean and install Linux, which I will have to learn. Luckily, I'd backed it up a few weeks ago, so all is not lost, just temporarily unavailable.

Amazing, the problems of modern technology that were inconceivable some years ago. I remember 1976, when my geek husband and I went to a computer convention in Atlantic City (pre-gambling, really cheap and shabby). I had a nice time horseback riding on the beach, but couldn't understand Ber's enthusiasm. After all, I thought, why would ANYONE want a computer in their home? Moral: Don't look to me for investment advice. Oh, there was a squeaky-voiced nerd named Bill Gates there, who took the stage to yell at everybody for using his BASIC program and not sending him royalties. Never heard from him again, LOL.

Perfect fall day

Perfect, beautiful fall day in the park today. Blue sky, a bit of wind, just cool enough for a nice cozy hoodie, and dry, dry, dry! JJ was in seventh heaven running across the Peninsula Meadow, and I did a bit of running myself - leg is completely rehabilitated, but I don't want to mess it up.

The park seemed quite full of people. Some Tai Chi'ers by the lakeside - beautiful living mobiles, a bike race, ginkgo nut gatherers, and lots and lots of dogs and their owners.

The three generation swan family has settled by the lake again. grandpa, Mama and Papa, the four cygnets, who now have substantial splotches of white feathers. I may be anthropomorphizing to refer to them in this way, but if that's the worst thing I do, I'm a saint. There's also an American coot (a small, black duck, not a senior citizen) who's come to the lake - supposedly a harbinger of a cold winter. Hope so. The honeymooning children returned from the Alaskan cruise with a genuine Russian fur hat for Ber, and we want to make sure he gets to wear it.

Ginkgo gatherers are rampant. They are all Asian, and they take the nuts. I often see small groups of women with their plastic sacks, but today the men were out. One was using a stick to knock some fruit down. They take the nuts out from the fruit while in the park, leaving the pulp behind. It's the pulp that smells, supposedly to keep animals from eating the nuts. The women seem to take the whole thing, probably doing the depulping at home. Interesting gender difference.

Met a nice couple down from New Paltz for the bike race, really enjoying the off-leash hour with their little dog. If you could capture the dog's joy in a bottle, you'd have the product of the century! Sadly, there seemed to be an accident in the race. I don't think there was a serious injury, but rider and bike were each taken off in their specific "ambulances." This was on the hill coming down the west side of the park. Incredibly exciting when I was younger, now terrifying that I'm at an age where I know I could actually get hurt.

Kickball, biking, pull-ups, and IDA update,

Huge crowd at the Nethermead - teams waiting for the fields to be theirs at 9 to play what looked like a Kickball tournament. The shirt backs all said "Play Kickball." Don't exactly know what kickball is - obviously a sport played by kicking a ball, but who knows what else. It looks kind of like soccer played with a basketball. It's a perfect day for it - sunny, mid-high 70's, not humid.

Also perfect weather for the bike racing going on as we were heading to the meadows to run JJ. Not a huge participation - I think this might be the "off on vacation" time of year. When our kids were smaller, I noticed that all families went on vacation the last 2-3 weeks of August. Mainly because that's when the camps are over.

Swan family thriving and looking great. No sign of the 3 lone geese - the Singletons, as I think I will now refer to them. However, we didn't make a complete circle around the lake. Just went as far as the Boathouse, sat and enjoyed the view, then retraced our steps. It's possible that the Singletons read the "Do not feed the wild animals" signs and moved on to find their own food, unlike the woman with two kids busily feeding bread to the geese within spitting distance of the new sign. Sigh. We did see Anne and Ed just arriving at the Park as we were leaving (late for them), and they said they'd keep an eye out for the Singletons.

Also noticed as we were leaving that the exercise platforms and bars mentioned in a previous entry were being used! Anne and Ed mentioned that at 7:00 on the weekdays, when they usually come in, there's a group of well muscled men using this new outdoor gym! Pull-ups and sit-ups before breakfast! Should I decide to really get in shape, I know what to do. 4 miles of walking is more than enough for me these days.

FOLLOW-UP TO "IN DEFENSE OF ANIMALS" RALLY: The politician whose name I couldn't remember was Tony Avilla. I felt really bad about this, since I met him a couple of years ago at our local Flatbush Frolic, was impressed with him, and even gave a little money towards his ( eventually unsuccessful) mayoral campaign. Also there, as the emcee, was an actress named Elaine Hendrix, who is on the Board of IDA and wonderfully photogenic - can't hurt the cause!!

Bits and pieces in the park

Nice to see the three adult swans swimming happily about, unencumbered by fishing lines, hooks, etc. They seem to be none the worse from their experiences. I just hope that they can stay that way.

Chatted a bit with come responsible fisherpeople sitting by the lake. No barbed hooks, ever, and he had caught and released a bass already. I noted that they were not fishing anywhere near the swans, geese, ducks, etc. To me, the idea of coming but I suppose, if asked, they might feel the same way about walking the dog and looking at birds. So nice that there are accommodations for all interests in Prospect Park!

There was a camera crew in the Park today, from Channel 5. I asked what about. They want some nice park scenery to go with the West Nile Virus story. I remembered I heard on the radio (NPR - where I get most of my news) that there was the first confirmed case this year. So, could Fox 5 be fearmongering about the dangers of Prospect Park? Maye it will encourage the barbed-hook fisherpeople to keep away.

Swan family is happily dining among the duckweed by the boathouse. JJ's going in for a swim didn't bother them at all. And we got a great shot of a caterpillar that jumped onto Ed from a nearby tree - obviously recognizing a friendly spirit. The question is: good caterpillar or bad caterpillar???

Last but not least: a memorial poster for the geese.

Don't know what happened - the pictures were all supposed to be small. Oh well.

Today's bird report

One of the three swans still has a lure attached, although it doesn't seem to be as disruptive to its swimming as it was yesterday. We heard that Martin of the Prospect Alliance was out in a boat yesterday trying to rescue Ziggy from the fishing line, but was unable to catch it. All three were swimming nicely in the lake today. We shall see what happens next.

Swan family looking good.

A small group of geese is now located on the Southern part of the lake - near to one of the meeting circles. This was where one of the huge flocks had based themselves. I am wondering if there are so many geese back that there are now two flocks? Before the massacre, it looked like five flocks. I am wondering ho big a flock needs to be before it splits into two.

By meeting circle, I mean the place south of the lake, with benches around a circle, where there's a large painted rock in the center. When we first moved to Brooklyn and came to the park, there was a tree trunk in that spot. An artist had carved the trunk into a lion's head. it was magnificent, a genuine work of art. Alas, as with so many things in Prospect, it got destroyed - first burnt a little, then a lot. For many years, it just looked like a pile of crap. I'm glad the rock is there. Not nearly so wonderful as the lion's head, but nice nevertheless.

They're moving in - there goes the neighborhood!

I counted 40 geese lined up at the edge of Prospect Park lake - just quietly hanging out. No one was feeding them, and I go the impression they are waiting...waiting...waiting...for food? more geese? I know it's hard to stop people from feeding the geese. There are other ways to keep the population down - plantings, laser lights, egg interference, border collies, and many many more. Just a voice in the wilderness for the humans side of things.

But the really exciting news was the arrival of three more swans. They look to be young. Swans leave the nest after 2 years, and these look just that age. Will they stay? Hook up with the Lone Male next spring? Looking forward to the next chapter of "Swans in Prospect Park." I admit. I like them much more than the geese. The swan family is happily ensconced near the boathouse. Here's a little video of papa hissing at me and being protective as I got too close. I was hoping to end the video with a giant leap in my direction, but no. I think he knows me, and/or senses that i am not really threatening.

Also new in the park today: we saw people actually working on the bridge repairs, and a nice family taking advantage of the incredibly beautiful day (a little cooler, sunny, perfect) for a family photo op.

And here's the youtube.com address of a funny little video of geese wearing Nazi helmets and saluting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ1KRPjsbTo

Geese Memorial and swan family photo

Looked to be about 200 people at the Goose Memorial last night at the Gazebo. A few friendly police doing crowd control, and some politicians. The emphasis seems to be on preventing future exterminations, which I think is the absolute right thing to do at this time. There was a State Senator named Eric Adams there, who claims to have "no life at all," and is up at 3 AM reading his e-mails. He encouraged people to email him about this, at eadams@senate.state.ny.us. Way to go Senator Adams!!!!

Someone once very cynically described a leader as "someone who looks at where the crowd is heading and jumps in front of them." While there's undoubtedly a grain of truth there, what else is an elected official to do? Who on earth could have predicted that the geese in Prospect Park would become an issue like this? It is so outside the usual political topics of safety, schools, and taxes.

Anyway, it would be very nice if there could be some open, coordinated process to solve the geese overpopulation problem. Apparently, geese overpopulation is becoming a problem in many areas, and people seem to be inventing all kinds of solutions: border collies, red lights, fake eagles, mylar tape, nest prevention, egg treatments - google Canada geese, and you'll be amazed.

We got a nice family shot of mama swan with her babies, and of the lone sxwan chatting with a visiting friend. Lone swan seems to be coming out of his funk and getting sociable again.

Lots of equipment to repair the bridge, not no actual repair activity yet. Sorry about the double shot, but last time I tried to delete a photo, I ended up deleting the whole blog entry.

Lastly, yes indeed the other end of the lake is back where it's supposed to be.

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.

Beautiful repairs about to happen.

Surprisingly, summer in Prospect Park doesn't seem to be as eventful as the winter. The park gets greener and greener, trash comes and goes. Comes on the weekends, gone by Tuesday. The water fowl swims around all over the lake, not just in one particular area. Lots of the best viewing spots (especially of sunning turtles) are so overgrown that you can't see them at all. Probably better for them, but not so interesting for those of us who enjoy photos of 7 or 8 turtles sunning in a line on a log. The birds are harder to see now that everything is fully leafed. There are more and more people and dogs early in the morning, now that the temperature is in the 90's and everyone wants to be in front of a fan or in air-conditioned splendor by midday. She swans are out for a gentle morning swim,. The cygnets are growing quite fast and look wonderful. I think they'll be adult sized in one year, but not white until the second year. Then they usually fly away to find mates and breed.

We are not the only ones rescuing turtles, not by a long shot. Ed and Anne do, of course, but there are others. This kind soul was returning a huge turtle to the lake. It's not exactly real wilderness in Prospect Park, and they do need our protection from time to time.

The biggest news is that it looks like the bridge is going to be repaired. This is the big cast iron bridge over the Lullwater. It's a beautiful piece of park architecture, put up in 1890. They closed it last winter, saying that it was unsafe. At least they tried to close it. They put barricades up so no cars could traverse it, which was fine. They also put up all kinds of signs, police barricades, warning notices, and fences on the two paths going underneath, to no avail whatsoever. Walkers, runners, boaters, fisherpeople, cyclists kept on going here. The rumor was that the Parks. Dept. had no intention of repairing it. Luckily, this seems to be no longer the case. There is some big machinery and supplies near it now. Looks like repair work. Hope it's not a false alarm, since I guess it could be a prelude to tearing it down or putting up a concrete wall. That would totally suck, so I sure hope I am just being paranoid about that possibility. Will continue to observe and report.