Urban Wildlife

I hear you there on all counts LK.

So do I. With the possible infection of rabies, nobody who isn't well trained in trapping and handling raccoons should even attempt it. And if they're a problem, it shouldn't cost a homeowner or renter to have the county come out and deal with them. If they refuse and you get bitten and it turns out it had rabies, can you sue the county for the medical costs?

in this country you can sue anyone for anything.

another 2 foot alligator was found in Brooklyn this time. A "good samaritan"brought it in to the cops saying he found it in a park . More likely it was his "pet"and got too big to handle. At least he didn't just let it loose.

SNORT!!!! and wildifle people are always on about
the feral cats. What a joke.

Yeah, feral kitties are not as dangerous compared to alligators and boa constrictors.

this is a little late, but I haven't been here in a while
New York City (The Bronx) is now home to two beavers . the first one showed up in the bronx River a few years ago, after the river was cleaned up. The second just showed up this summer.
These are the first beavers living wild in NYC for over 200 years!

http://jezebel.com/5653172/justin-beaver-takes-up-residence-in-bronx-river

COOL! I hope they stick around and have a family next spring. Wouldn't baby beavers be cute to see swimming around then?

Do honey bees count as urban wildlife? We had one stuck in my hallway, so I caught him and let him loose in the flowers in the garden. Wasn't very happy at being in the net, but seemed happy enough when I put him directly on a flower.

i think honey bees are ubiquitous, but they are better than *gasp* bedbugs. LOL

Now that beekeeping is legal in NYC I hape we have many more honey bees zipping around. A few weeks ago I was passing an empty lot where a bunch of thistles were growing and the flowers were covered in honey bees.

Now that's a sight I'd like to see!

We have huge flocks of geese gathering, resting, then moving south now.

New York City is on a direct migration route for many birds, including hawks, etc. I see ducks and geese flying above on their way south.
Unfortunately most of the canada Geese don't bother to fly south anymore.

NYC now has a No fly zone for canadian geese withing 7 miles of the airports, which includes most of NYC and they go on witchhunts for canadian geese and kill them so they won't get sucked into airplanes engines

They should not kill the geese. Why not just move them to another area?

i know they've tried things like shooting off guns and scare away dogs...the poor birds just have it inbred into their bodies and brains to go a certain flight path.i don't believe they should kill them...but wonder how they could catch them? I'd rather see them caught, their winds clipped on a regular basis so they can't fly and put in an area that is safe for both birds and planes.

That was what brought down the plane that landed in the
Hudson.

I agree with you Jeane, wing clipping might be the answer.

Can't they somehow modify the plane engines so the birds don't get sucked into them? Like a big mesh cover that sticks out a yard or so in front of the engine? That way they'd bounce off and not go in..........

I can't get a picture of this but last week in the new York daily News there was a picture of a humongous possum which was captured in Brooklyn. from head to tail had to be 5-6 ft long (of course they have long tails) LOL
There was some recent rumors around that the reason there are so many possums in Brooklyn is that they were "seeded". the city supposedly brought them in to control the rats, which is so much hooey. They are just proliferating because they are rodents and that's what they do. , just like the rats, the raccoons, etc, a steady source of food (garbage, cat food left out for feral cats etc)

If they truly wanted to deal with the rats I would think they'd bring in cats, not possums. Who are they trying to kid? Are they sure that big one was a real possum? Maybe it's a foreign relative of our local possums, and it only looks like our guys but is much bigger. Like the African pouched rat (I think that's the one) that looks like our rats only they get a lot bigger.............

nope this was just a VERY well fed possum. The fact is that the whole possum as rat catcher was only an urban myth , like aliigators in the sewer.

Last night I was up around 4am and heard a flock of ducks fly over head. quacking away.
The canada geese around here do not migrate. it's too convenient for them to just stay where they are for the most part.
The way i see it, if they must kill them (and they really have to control the numbers-moving them is NOT an option) they should provide the meat to homeless shelters, and sell it to wild game butchers. to make some revenue.

That makes sense Lovekitties, if they must die at least don't let their deaths be for nothing. They could at least feed some people who'd be grateful for some meat in their diet.

That's a big possum!

(Possums are marsupials, not rodents.)

there was a nice article about one of NYC's resident Red tail Hawks in yesterdays's paper
http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/fly_girl_W4ojFRcyWfgAmtAS7sSbkM

Very nice article, and a very nice pic of her too.

We have red-tailed hawks here too and they were out in full force yesterday hunting before the big storm hits. The kestrels were out in numbers too, swooping low to the ground looking for prey.

more birds in NYC
111th Christmas Bird Count Reveals 6,220 Birds Of 59 Different Species In Central Park


Volunteers gather in the
Arsenal Gallery on Sunday
Daniel Avila
There are 59 species of birds and 6,220 individual birds in Central Park, according to the final tally of the 111th Christmas Bird Count held in Central Park on Sunday. Teams of citizen birdwatchers, guided by Urban Park Rangers, spent the morning canvassing all 843 acres of Central Park identifying and counting each and every bird in a game of ornithological “I Spy.” Last year, in the wake of a weekend snowstorm, volunteers counted 48 species of birds and 4,474 individual birds in Central Park.

Following the bird count, participants gathered at the historic Arsenal building in Central Park to share, analyze, and tally their findings. The results of this bird count will be added to the results of other Audubon Society Christmas Bird Counts which are being held across the nation from December 14, 2010 to January 5, 2011. The aggregate tallies will help paint a picture of how the continent’s bird populations have changed in time and space over the past hundred years.

“This year’s Christmas Bird Count reveals that Central Park is home to 6,220 birds, a high probably aided by the good weather conditions,” said Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe. “Beginning and advanced avian aficionados alike braved the cold and surveyed the world’s most famous park. They identified a wide variety of birds throughout the park’s winter wonderland, from Carolina Wrens to Cedar Waxwings. Unlike previous years, there were no (Mute) swans a-swimming, and no partridge in a pear tree. Special thanks to the New York City Audubon Society and Central Park Conservancy for co-hosting this 111th annual holiday tradition that allows New Yorkers to become citizen scientists in their local park.”

“The highlight of this year’s event was the sighting of a Varied Thrush in the Ramble,” said Glenn Phillips, Executive Director of New York City Audubon. “It is unusual to see this bird, typically from the Pacific Northwest, at any time in the City, and especially during the Christmas Bird Count. It was a thrill to join nearly 100 participants, from first time birders to those with a lifetime of experience, valuing every bird that gets counted.”

The results of this year’s tally indicate that Central Park is presently home to several birds that are either uncommon or rare for this time of year, including a Red-headed Woodpecker. The largest flocks spotted were of the House Sparrow, White-Throated Sparrow, Common Grackle, and Herring Gull. Large numbers of the Mallard, European Starling, and Ring-Billed Gull were also spotted.

The first bird counts in America took place on Christmas Day 1900 and were intended to promote bird counting as an alternative to bird hunting. This year’s Christmas Bird Count in Central Park was led by the New York City Audubon Society and jointly organized with NYC Parks & Recreation’s Urban Park Rangers, and the Central Park Conservancy.

That's fantastic LK. Do you go?

It IS fantastic! I'm not a bird watcher myself, but I'm in awe of the thousands of people who voluntarily observe and track the movements of birds all over the globe all year round. That information is priceless to our understanding, not only of birds, but of our global ecology as a whole. No government or scientific community could possibly afford to mount such an endeavor. These people do it from their own passion and curiosity. God bless them, every one, these researchers, and may they enjoy every sighting!