Pato loco

May 5, 2011

On this Cinco de Mayo, we observed some crazy ducks, or pato loco, in the BPC home for mallards by the waterfall pond. With the cold spring, the mallards are getting a several week delayed start, compared to last year, on the mating process. Enjoy this short video of multiple pairs of mallards fighting it out for the coveted pond territory.

Who killed the Koi?

April 21, 2011

One of the best assets in Battery Park City for children and visitors has been the unique and highly prized collection of large Koi fish in the waterfall pond by the Irish Hunger Memorial. The fish have been living in the waterfall pond for many years. Some grew to be 24 inches long. Koi can cost thousands of dollars if they were to be purchased fully grown.

Most residents are surprised to learn that the fish stay in the pond throughout the winter and somehow live through the cold and ice. Not this year. All of the large Koi have died. The country suffered through one of the worst winters on record and the thick ice over the pond likely depleted the water of oxygen as it froze thicker than usual.

It is common knowledge to most people that fish in ponds need to have the ice broken in order to oxygenate the water. How did the Battery Parks Conservancy experts miss this and fail to take proper action to ensure the viability of these expensive cherished fish?

BatteryPark.TV called the Parks Conservancy office dozens of times over two days and were told that the official we were trying to reach was either “Not in his office” or “Not in the building”. Upon going in person to the offices located on Battery Place, the official in question was in fact sitting at his desk. He declined to comment on the matter. Tess Huxley, the senior most official of the Battery Parks Conservancy, has previously not replied to any of our emails or calls. Officials from the Battery Park City Authority also declined to comment in time for this article.

In the past, the Ms. Huxley has taken a hands-off, let-nature-take-its-course, approach to the wildlife in the parks. The ten ducklings that grew last year in the same pond, matured into adults, and flew away did so only after BatteryPark.TV gained the volunteer cooperation of others to supply square boards to avoid drowning and feed for the birds until they could fly out of the contained pond. The year prior in 2009, all but two ducklings starved to death without this type of assistance.

Sources told BatteryPark.TV that the Koi in the pond that died this winter had been there for 16 years. The Parks staff have never proactively cared for the fish in the winter. This winter was different, and they all died.

(Click on image for full panorama view)

Stranded ducklings in Battery Park City

June 1, 2010

Approximately three weeks ago, two nests of duck eggs hatched in Battery Park City. According to a park ranger, one nest was in the grass of the Irish Hunger Memorial and the other one was in Tear Drop Park. Vince McGowan of the Battery Park Conservancy said that a local resident relocated the newly hatched ducklings to the waterfall pond. A park ranger confronted the person who then informed the ranger that he had a “license to handle wildlife”.

The Parks Conservancy is not feeding or caring for the ducklings. They are viewed as wildlife that can fend for itself.

The problem with the ducklings being in the pond is that humans placed them there unnaturally. The animals have no way of getting out of the pond at this age and are therefore unable to fend for themselves. Of the original 19, 10 ducklings remain.

Ducklings feed on insects and invertebrates. The small ecosystem of the pond, with fish competing for the food, is unlikely to support the ducklings as they grow into larger animals.

The video may be viewed here

July 15 update

Comparing radiation leaks from major nuclear events

March 15, 2011

Now that the multiple nuclear reactors in Japan are in meltdown, possibly on the scale of Chernobyl in 1986, the key safety questions are “How will this radiation accident compare to other previously documented events, such as Chernobyl and Three Mile Island, and will the radiation cause cancer?”

Using reports from our US NCR and the United Nations BEIR VII report, we tabulated rough estimates of radiation exposure and compared them to the gold standard of data, the WW2 Atom-bomb survivor studies (BEIR). The long-term cohort studies of the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are the best medical data available to correlate cancer risks to exposure.

It is premature to estimate the radiation amounts being leaked from Japan, but given that there are at least four reactors melting down, it is safe to assume that the Japan disaster will be on par, if not worse, than Chernobyl. Chernobyl contaminated areas of Europe thousands of miles away. Some areas were extremely high doses that were in cancer-causing range, but the average doses were not.

At this time, it is likely that radiation will reach Alaska and the continental U.S., but that the levels will be very low.

Click to enlarge graphic)

Get eye level with the ducks of BPC

Update: October 9, 2010

The males are now developing the classic green, gray, and brown plumage and mates are being chosen. They should migrate south later in November.

September 24, 2010

The population of mallards in the waterfall pond has doubled to nearly 20 ducks as more and more migrators find the spot an attractive respite. As mentioned in previous reports, all ten of the stranded ducklings made it to adulthood and all can fly now.

Harvest Moon

September 25, 2010

There was a rare Harvest Moon a few days ago, so it is fitting to show this montage of images from the 2010 season in the BPC Community Gardens. See if you spot any gardens you know.

This is also a small tribute, in ways, to 9/11 victims.

And this classic digital short from 2009

Mission Accomplished

September 25, 2010

One of the male mallards has changed into full mating plumage much sooner than the others, and seems to have chosen a mate already.

August 31, 2010

Coincidentally, on the same day President Obama gave a primetime speech to announce that all combat troops had left Iraq, BatteryPark.TV is glad to announce “Mission Accomplished” too with Project Duck. The last straggling duckling that was developing flight feathers more slowly than the others finally flew away today.

(The last duck to fly, shown here two weeks ago with wingtip feathers still growing)

Every single one of the ten ducklings that was present on May 31 when we first began reporting on the stranded ducklings survived to adulthood and flew away. This was possible only due to a collaboration of various conscientious volunteers in the community, ranging from the Parks Conservancy staff who fed them when they were smallest, to other concerned residents of Battery Park City.

The waterfall pond had zero ducks in it at 6:00 PM today. Now, it’s just the old faithful overgrown goldfish left. However, the ducks return daily, so you will still be able to see them, and more strangers from Up North will land and visit in about a month, as they did last year. There are already three stranger mallard ducks hanging out.

August 17, 2010

The dynamics of the little Duck Utopia have been greatly altered. Four stranger adult male mallards flew into town and are hanging out in the waterfall pond during the day. They can be spotted by their slightly larger size and behavior. They do not associate in close proximity with the nine siblings that grew up in the pond. One of the adult males is also acting territorial, almost in pre-mating rituals.  The mother is not around much these days.

The young siblings seem to be learning from the new adults and are flying more often. This evening, all but two of the ducks flew the coop for the evening. One duck has had slow development of the flight feathers on her wings and another seems too small to fly with the pack.

August 11, 2010

A male duck landed in the waterfall pond today and was a bit larger than the others. It might have been one of the siblings that flew away 5 days ago. It began to lead the group around the pond and bob his head. Then suddenly, he took flight toward the Hudson taking with him one of the ducks on its first flight.

The remaining ducks took short flights but aborted them within the pond. They all hopped up to the highest rim of the pond and gazed westward. Then, suddenly again, three of them got the courage to fly away. They circled nearby over the Hudson for more than a two minutes. One returned to the pond. There are now six ducks in the pond.

August 6, 2010

One of the ten former ducklings flew out of the waterfall pond sanctuary for the first time today and went on an overnight expedition with the mother. Their behavior is to return in the morning. The rest are doing test flights the length of the pond. Unlike last year where only two ducklings survived, and only one of those had the nutrition to develop flight wings, all ten this year are doing well, thanks to the care given by the BPC Conservancy staff.

Fellow duck enthusiasts have asked some common questions and here are the answers.

Q1 Are they all females?

A: No. They will not differentiate into the colorful male plumage until next year. For now, the only distinguishing marks are the color of the bills. The males have green bills. Also, the mature males lose their colorful green plumage a month or so after the eggs hatch and develop a more protective camouflage brown color.

Q2 When will they fly?

A: Mallard ducklings can fly as soon as 50 days after hatching. Our ducks are almost 90 days old and have the fully developed wing feathers for flight. Being citified ducks, they seem to be a bit lazy and comfortable where they are.

Q3: When will they leave for good?

A: They will likely stick around in the pond until November. The mother will stay with them until next year.

Q4: Will they return next year?

A: Yes. They will likely return and nest again nearby.

A plan to save the ducklings

June 2, 2010

As previously reported, the waterfall pond by the Irish Hunger Memorial has ten ducklings stranded in it that were placed there by humans. They lack adequate food and nesting ground. Approximately nine have died in the pond so far.

BatteryPark.TV noticed on the evening of June 1st that the water level of the pond had risen several inches and flooded their circular spot of land creating an even more urgent situation. Searching for an animal protection agency, BatteryPark.TV called the local NYFD firehouse, who referred us to the ASPCA, who referred us to the DEC, who referred us to a private volunteer animal shelter run by Eileen Jones. Ms. Jones spoke with the Battery Park Conservancy’s Tessa Huxley and arranged for an evaluation of the situation on the evening of June 2^nd.

Ms. Jones and a member of the Battery Park Conservancy discussed several options ranging from removing the birds, to building a ramp allowing them to leave the pond, to doing nothing. The plan that was agreed upon was to build small floating platforms to ensure dry land for the ducklings, and then Ms. Jones would provide food for the birds with instructions to the park staff on how to administer it. Stay tuned.

Photo of the ducklings resting in a new grass shelter after the round plot of ground became flooded.

Update: June 6. The duck family taking well to the new platform

July 3: The ducklings are outgrowing their small square and will be flying soon. All ten are still alive thanks to daily feedings by the BPCA parks staff. The father duck has lost his shiny green head feathers as is normal and still splashes down daily. Mother duck often watches from above on the railing of the waterfall.

Kill the Drill

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer discusses his “Kill the Drill” campaign to not allow near New York City’s source of water in Upstate NY a water-polluting method of drilling natural gas called hydro-fracture drilling.

It’s duck season

Perhaps as a part of the normal migration, there are more ducks than normal in the waterfall pond south of the Great Lawn. By our count, there were 20 or so paddling around. Email us if you have photos of your own that you would like for us to post.