A Really Great Blog

Friend, teacher and biologist, David Rosane, has a great blog that I thought I'd pass along. It's called "Uturn - To the Arctic Ocean. And Back" and follows the exploits of David, his wife Valerie and their 9 month old son, Manny across Alaska. I'm not plugging his site because he is a friend, but because it is a really interesting journal. I keep going back for more.


(Photo credit - David Rosane and Valerie Druguet)

Ridgewood Reservoir blog

I've created a separate blog with information about the Ridgewood Reservoir. My hope is to save its forests and other habitats from destruction. With the help of the general public and surrounding communities, I'm optimistic that the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation will be pursuaded to use the 50 million dollars allocated to the reservoir's "improvement" for a more visionary plan.

Dragonfly article

The New York Times ran a very good article about dragonflies entitled "Stalking the Wild Dragonfly". I recently acquired the very thorough field guide, "Dragonflies Through Binoculars", which is quite helpful, but they are difficult insects to learn. As the article points out, "dragonflies are fast and we’re slow”.

Petite Emerald (Dorocordulia lepida)

My roof and July 4th on Long Island



Towards sunset, during the warm weather, we walk up to the roof to relax with a bottle of wine, whet our appetite with a little food and mindlessly watch the local birds returning to their nightly roosts or bagging the day's final meal.

The mix of birds observed from our perch are usually predictable. Late afternoons bring Laughing Gulls, Herring Gulls, pigeons, Mourning Doves, robins, starlings, Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles and House Sparrow. Beginning well before dusk, Chimney Swifts, in a state of constant, twittering motion, vanish into their manmade caverns before sunset. As darkness closes in Great Egret leave the park and travel down the slope towards the harbor and night-herons travel uphill from the harbor's islands to Prospect Park for an evening of hunting. Mockingbirds and cardinals are more often heard than seen as they call from a favorite backyard or rooftop location. By August Black Skimmers join our list of roof birds as they slip passed on their way to Prospect Lake to glide over the water in search of small fish. Common Nighthawk, a declining annual presence, sadly, have not been seen or heard this year. American Crows are another bird that we'd always assumed would be a perpetual, boisterous presence over our piece of Brooklyn. Yet their numbers have dwindled to a small scattering of birds each night.



On Friday evening, several crows were noisly assembling on the roof of St. Savior's church. I can never tell by their vocalizations if crows are harrassing a predator or just talking to each other, so I always look for hawks when I hear them. Tonight an American Kestrel had attracted the crows ire. The small falcon flew in our direction from south of us and perched on a satellite dish mounted on the church roof. Tiny in comparison to the crows, the diminuative hunter ignored the aggitated black birds and stared intently into a nearby backyard.

Public School 51


My friend, Jerry, once told me that he had seen nesting kestrels on a public school adjacent to his apartment. It's an old (1894) brownstone and brick structure with many potential nest sites within the numerous gables, peaks, spires and chimney stacks along the roof. Perhaps the adult male perched on the satellite dish was one of that pair as the school is in line with the church and several blocks south. The falcon stayed for a few minutes then took off towards Prospect Park.



Someday I hope to locate at least one of the falcon's nests in my neighborhood.

On Saturday my wife and I took our annual July 4th weeked trip to the east end of Long Island. We stay with my youngest brother, his wife and their two young kids. Other family members live nearby and the weekend usually evolves into a combination of planned and spontaneous family gatherings. My youngest nieces and nephews always want me to take them on nature walks. A favorite location is the Morton National Wildlife Refuge where habituated chickadees and chipmunks gather along the edges of the trails waiting for handouts. The Black-capped Chickadees have become extremely bold and will demand sunflower seeds with a "threatening", high-pitched whistle.





The hiking trails terminate at a beach on a narrow peninsula that juts into the Peconic Bay.

Much of the beach is blocked off from the public to protect breeding pairs of Piping Plover. Other species along the peninsula include Least Tern and Osprey. This year Osprey seem to have been very successful as I counted seven individuals lined up on weather-beaten posts along the beach. Wild Turkeys also seem to be making a comeback on Long Island and we observed a combined family with 15 chicks of various ages.





I always expect chickadees to be relatively tame at the refuge, but on Sunday I had an experience that I could have never predicted. My niece was holding a small pile of sunflower seeds, patiently waiting for a chickadee to settle on her hand. I was a short distance from her, getting ready to snap a photo. While I was holding my camera up, framing the photo, a chickadee landed on my camera. I didn't have any seeds and he just sat on the camera body, looking at me. He stayed for, what seemed like minutes, but was probably only a few seconds.





As a child I loved exploring the coastal areas of New York. Whether it was the ocean, bay or marsh, I found it to be a treasure trove of life forms. I still feel that way. Over the long weekend, I spent time with the kids at the water's edge. They seemed to instinctly want to do the same thing.

Hermit Crabs (Pagurus longicarpus)


At Mescutt Beach, my niece, nephew and other children used nets to strain the water, looking for marine life. A plastic bucket then became the temporary habitat for a variety of hermit crabs and silvery minnows. I found a sundried whelk egg case within the flotsom at the tide's high water mark and brought it back to the house to cut open and show the kids the tiny, fully formed shells within each segment.

Whelk egg case


Each shell is approximately 1/16th of an inch long


Everything became an ecology lesson. When we were dumping the contents of the egg case, a tent caterpillar crawled across our makeshift, rock lab table. He promptly became a weekend pal for my 4 year old nephew. We placed the caterpillar inside of a plastic bucket along with a leaf covered twig from an oak tree. Maybe this week he'll find a chrysalis inside the bucket.



Long Island's east end is a relatively short drive from Brooklyn and possesses a tremendous diversity of flora and fauna. While this blog is primarily focused on the nature within my urban environment, it gives one a good idea of how much more is possible, if the motivation exists.

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)


Lesser Maple Spanworm Moth (Macaria pustularia)


Oak Leafshredder Moth (Acleris semipurpurana)

Oceanside Marine Nature Study Area & Prospect Park

The Gatekeepers


Sean and I haven’t been out birding together for a long time. The last time was in April when we went to Marine Park looking for a Mew Gull. After he and his wife moved to New Jersey, we’ve really just shared birding experiences over the telephone. Friday we finally worked out our schedules so that we could spend the morning in the field.

Sean wanted to try to photograph some Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows. He suggested that we try the Oceanside Marine Nature Study Area as it is likely the best opportunity to find one of these colorful birds. Many people associate sparrows with uninteresting “little brown jobs”, but one look at a sharp-tailed sparrow would change that perception. I really enjoy the flora and fauna of marsh habitats, especially the mosquitos and green flies. Actually, I’m usually oblivious to the insects until I’m covered in welts and miserable. Most of the morning was overcast and cool, so the insects weren’t a problem. After a visit to the marsh we planned to head over to Prospect Park where Sean would take some documenting photos of the Acadian Flycatchers.

Sean looking for sparrows


Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Nyctanassa violacea)


I had never been to the Oceanside marsh and was really impressed with the number and tameness of the birds. There were Yellow-crowned Night-Herons everywhere that didn’t seem the least bit concerned with our presence along the facility’s boardwalks. Tree Swallows were flying back and forth nonstop, throughout the salt marsh. Several times individuals would fly routes that seemed to pass within inches from my head. Intellectually, I knew that they wouldn’t hit me, yet I still jerked my head out of the way every time.

Osprey family


A pair of Ospreys nesting on a platform adjacent to one of the boardwalks were caring for three young hatchlings. Like the herons, they were incredibly tolerant of humans and didn’t react when people walked directly beneath their nest. I watched in awe as one adult arrived with a large fish and patiently pulled off small pieces and gently fed it to each offspring. One my way back to the trailhead I spotted a Clapper Rail bathing on the opposite side of a narrow channel. Rails are generally skittish birds that vanish into dense marsh grass at the slightest hint of danger. In this case, though, he ignored me and continued his preening rituals uninterrupted. At that point, Sean was at the opposite side of the marsh, sprawled across the wooden boardwalk on his stomach. For most people, that might be a concern, but I just assumed that he was composing a photograph, or drunk (just kidding).

Clapper Rail keeping an eye on us


There were several Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows in the area. We located a few by their airy, high-pitched version of a Red-winged Blackbird’s song. The sound was an interesting contrast to the deep, guttural “quocks” and “squawks” of the nearby herons and egrets.

Salt-marsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow (Ammodramus caudacutus)

(Photo Credit - Sean Sime)

We were pressed for time so, after a couple of hours, headed into Brooklyn.

I lead Sean to the general vicinity of the Acadian Flycatcher nest, but didn’t point it out. We are both ear-birders, and I thought it might be fun to see how long it would take him to find it. Within only a minute or two we heard the first “PEET-sah”. Locating the nest was easy for him. Not much of a challenge. While we were taking photos I heard one of the fledgling Red-tailed Hawks in the distance. He was crying for food again. I walked away from Sean to look for the hawk. I imitated his whistle and he got a bit closer. To my left, a Blue Jay also started imitating the young hawk. It’s curious that a small songbird would mimic a top predator. Wouldn’t it attract the very bird that they would want to avoid?

Like Thursday, I never got a clear view of the Red-tailed Hawk, just some moving leaves and branches near the top of a tuliptree.

In the comments section, birderbf said...

"Airy version of the Red-winged Blackbird's song? That was the Seaside Sparrow. The Sharp-taileds sing "tchk-tsssssssss""

I stand corrected. There was at least one Seaside Sparrow present and I probably just confused the two, especially since I don't encounter either sparrow very often. (Note to self, try to stay away from the lame excuses.)

- - - - -

Oceanside Marine Nature Study Area, 6/29/2007
-
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Glossy Ibis
Osprey (2 adults, 3 hatchlings.)
American Kestrel
Clapper Rail
American Oystercatcher
Willet
Laughing Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Common Tern
Least Tern
Black Skimmer
Eastern Kingbird
Red-eyed Vireo
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Marsh Wren
Yellow Warbler
Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow
Seaside Sparrow
Common Grackle

Other common species seen (or heard)
Canada Goose, Herring Gull, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Fish Crow, Northern Mockingbird, Song Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird


Prospect Park, 6/29/2007
-
Red-tailed Hawk
Mourning Dove
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Acadian Flycatcher
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle

Prospect Park



Outside of looking in on the hawks once and a couple of hours of “insect-watching” with Steve, I really haven’t done much exploring around Prospect Park since the City Birding Challenge back in mid-May. Early Wednesday morning I spent a some time birding in the park with my friend, Orrin.

I cycled into the park as I had only a couple of hours before I needed to get back and it helps me to cover more ground.

It felt good being on my bike in the park. The park’s western roadway begins a long descent towards Prospect Lake near the Bandshell at 9th Street. At around that point I usually change gears for a short burst of speed, then stop pedalling. That begins a 3/4 mile freewheel passed the 15th Street park entrance, the west edge of the Quaker Cemetery, the southern base of Lookout Hill and, finally, the start of Wellhouse Drive at the edge of Prospect Lake. I usually turn onto the drive, but today I continued letting gravity carry me towards West Island for a total distance of nearly 1 mile.

It’s not that I’m a lazy cyclist so much as a lazy birder. As I’m coasting along that route I’ll listen for bird songs and calls. On Wednesday morning there was a Chipping Sparrow trilling from the top of a pine tree near 15th Street. Over the last few years they’ve begun nesting in the park. There’s a very healthy stand of pine trees near that location that was planted about 7 years ago. I’ve read that chippies prefer conifers and, prior to the growth of that stand, there weren’t many healthy pines in the park. Farther down the road, near the cemetery, I heard a small flock of Cedar Waxwings whistling as they flew over the road. Near Lookout Hill I’m usually going too fast to hear anything except the air rushing over my ears.

I walked my bike to the edge of the lake, to the left of tiny West Island. A mixed flock of some of the park’s resident “handout habituated” Mallards, black ducks and hybrids were sleeping on a log floating near the island. At 7:00AM the temperature was already hovering at about 82 degrees F. There was a mist slowly drifting across the lake and a pinkish haze in the atmosphere that gave the impression of a sultry August morning. I had been staring out over the lake for only a few minutes when Orrin arrived. We didn’t have a planned route and meandered, almost automatically, along the lake’s edge towards Lookout Hill.

The removal of several Norway and Sycamore Maples, and planting of numerous native trees, shrubs and wildflowers, has transformed the rise behind lamppost J249 from a sparsely vegetated, eroded hillside into a dense, profusion of green. From the base of Lookout Hill, Orrin and I slowly made our way towards the Maryland Monument and zig-zagged along the paths that lead to the Butterfly Meadow at the Hills summit. Along our route we heard or saw several Baltimore Orioles, Red-eyed Vireo, Warbling Vireo and Carolina Wren. I heard the “round-up” chattering call of an adult wren to its young, but was unable to location the precocious fledglings in the dense underbrush.

As we approached the Ravine and Nethermead Arches I heard the begging call of a Red-tailed Hawk. It made me smile as I recalled previous year’s fledgling hawks. This is the period of time when the adult red-tails gradually stop providing meals to their offspring. Eventually, the young raptors will let hunger teach them to fend for themselves as they begin hunting. Within the next few weeks, the sad, whistled calls near their nest woods will start to fade.

The first call that we heard came from behind the protective fencing on Quaker Ridge. We scanned the trees and underbrush but never found its source. Walking towards the Midwood, I heard the cries of the second fledgling, from the opposite side of the Ravine. We walked up the hill towards the Boulder Bridge looking for the hawk. Orrin spotted him as the young bird flew across the ridge and into the Midwood. His calls lead us to the base of a towering Tuliptree. Unlike other Red-tailed Hawk nesting territories around the city, Alice and Ralph chose a very natural setting. The huge, mature oaks, maples and tuliptrees in the area make finding the fledglings very difficult. Frequently, I’ll know the exact tree that they are calling from, but cannot see them through the dense foliage. This bird appeared to be very pale-headed, like his father, Ralph. We had several minutes of obscured views then continued on our way.

Acadian Flycatcher (Empidonax virescens)

(Photo credit - Sean Sime)

We had been in the park for 2 hours and where heading toward the park’s exit. On our way out I heard a Wood Thrush singing and we began walking towards his sound to look for possible fledglings (and hoping that they wouldn't be Brown-headed Cowbirds). Along the way I heard a bird call that I didn't recognize. It was just a single, sharp note. After about five minutes of looking we spotted an empidonax flycatcher. Shortly after, he accommodated us with a clean, explosive "PEET-sah". It was an Acadian Flycatcher and we watched him for a few minutes as he hawked for insects from between 3 feet and 10 feet above the ground. Then I saw something that I never imagined I'd see in Prospect Park. He flew to a branch in a Maple tree ... about six inches above a nest! In the nest was another Acadian Flycatcher. They greeted each other, then the (presumably) female left the nest very briefly. She only flew a few feet away where she snatched an insect and returned to the nest.

Acadian Flycatcher on nest


We didn't see any signs of hatchlings but I’ll keep close watch of the nest from a safe distance so that I don’t disturb them. These small, drab flycatchers haven’t nested within New York City’s borders for several decades. I’ve learned that there are some recent indications that they may be trying to reestablish themselves in the city.

- - - - -

Prospect Park, 6/27/2007
-
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Black-crowned Night-Heron (Across from Boathouse.)
Osprey (Circling the Upper Pool.)
Red-tailed Hawk (1 fledging “crying for adult” on Quaker Ridge; 1 in Midwood.)
Laughing Gull
Chimney Swift
Northern Flicker
Acadian Flycatcher (2. Breeding pair in Midwood. Female on nest.)
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Wood Thrush (Singing is Midwood.)
Gray Catbird
Cedar Waxwing (Several - Lookout Hill, Center Drive, Upper Pool.)
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole (3 or 4.)
American Goldfinch

Other common bird species seen (or heard)
Canada Goose, Mute Swan, American Black Duck, Mallard, Herring Gull, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, American Robin, European Starling, Northern Cardinal, Song Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, House Sparrow

Maryland and a Ridgewood Reservoir update

Tigerlily


My wife and I were out of town for a few days. We went down to Maryland, mostly for business, but we had a little down time.

Where we stayed, near Annapolis, is a county park called Quiet Waters. I've posted about it in the past. It's mostly a place where people go to run, skate or cycle as there is a very nice system of paths throughout the park. We'll always pay a visit to the park because it's close by, has nice facilities and is scenic. When my wife and brother-in-law going running in the morning, I usually do some exploring along, what is called, "The Compost Demonstration Area". Sounds lovely, doesn't it?

It's a short loop that isn't used very often by runners or anyone else, but it's great for wildlife and plants. The path is mostly wooded but creates a small loop where it deadends. There is an opening where the park displays different methods of composting. Wildflowers are abundant as are dragonflies, butterflies, bees and other insects. One corner of the loop is a small swamp that's probably manmade, but it works well as there were dozens of dragonflies present. A large thicket of wild bergamot had attracted Tiger Swallowtails and several other, much faster, butterflies.

Tiger Swallowtail on Wild Bergamot


Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)


Near the parking lot were several blooming Southern Magnolias. Being from New York it's an unfamiliar tree to me. Most of the magnolias around New York City are non-native "Japanese" magnolias. I usually go to Annapolis earlier and later in the year, so I haven't seen them bloom before this trip. Some of the lower flowers that I examined had an odd, elongated type of insect on the petals. It took a bit of research, but they turned out to be in the longhorn family of beetles.

Flower Longhorn (leptura obliterata)


Ospreys seemed to still be multiplying around the rivers that lead into the Chesapeake Bay. If you own a dock along your shoreline, or even rent a mooring, if an Osprey decides to build a nest on it...let's just say you'll be using another dock for a few weeks. And their nests are huge. I would imagine that, after the breeding season, they'd weigh several hundred pounds.

Great Blue Skimmer


Goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus)


While we were away, I missed one day of the Ridgewood Reservoir survey. I came back to a bird photo in my inbox sent to me by Steve. It was unlabelled but I had a good idea of the identity and was very excited. I wrote back with my guess.

Here's Heidi's reply:

"It IS a Redstart fledgling!

We actually saw the father come in and feed it!!!!!!!!!!! Amazing! Also, we had a Yellow Warbler fledgling following one of its parents around so that also confirms Yellow Warblers nesting at the reservoir! [...] We also confirmed Cedar Waxwing. We found a nest with a parent bird coming out."

Despite missing the discovery, I'm really happy that we're finding such an abundance of breeding birds at the reservoir. Now we just have to convince the city not to come in with chainsaws and level the place.

Adult male American Redstart


Fledgling redstart at reservoir


I just found another good source for insect photographs. The name of the website is Whispers in Nature. The site is primarily just images, but they are really nice, plus they have websites for other families of animals. What's That Bug? is more useful in that they cover a huge array of species. I sometimes get sucked up into subject unexpectedly and spend an inordinate amount of time studying it. While looking through the beetles on What's That Bug? I came across an insect that didn't look real, but more like something Timothy Leary hallucinated. It's called the Locust Borer. Check out these images.

Coelioxys Bee


Golden Bumble Bee


Sandhill Hornet


Thread-waisted Wasp species


Horse Nettle (solanum carolinense) and Ground Beetle (chlaenius sericeus)

Click here for a list of my postings that relate to the Ridgewood Reservoir survey.

Ridgewood Reservoir Meeting



When I started this weblog in 2004 I made the decision to adhere to a nature journal format. My desire was to avoid any type of political topics or agenda. The simple act of observing our urban environment should be free of any myopic bias. Each of my 6 Saturday morning surveys at the Ridgewood Reservoir have had the same level of excitement and anticipation as that of opening a Christmas present. It hasn't just been a new place to explore, so much as a habitat unlike any I've experienced within New York City. Recent news releases describing the city's intent to develop this gem caused me to rethink my rules, at least for this one case.

Last night I attended what was billed as "Community Listening Sessions Regarding Future Plans for the Ridgewood Reservoirs". It was hosted by the Department of Parks and Recreation. Heidi and I signed up for the meeting assuming that it would be a group of people listening to the parks department describe what they had in store for the reservoir and its surroundings. What transpired was, well, different. The response by the public to the meeting was a pleasant surprise.

Upon our arrival we were asked to sign in and were assigned a color-coded name tag. It was explained that, like the name tags at a wedding reception, the colors were associated with a table where we would sit. Each table was set-up with:

- a large topographic map of the property
- a satellite image centered on the reservoir with labels of recreational facilities within a 1/2 mile radius
- questionnaires for participants
- a printout of a Powerpoint presentation (the projector was broken)
- a large easel pad
- several legal pads and pens
- an 11" x 17" satellite image of the reservoir
- cardboard cut-outs of baseball fields, running tracks, tennis courts, parking lot, basketball courts, cricket field, etc., scaled to the large topographic map

It should be pointed out that the image with the 1/2 mile radius of current recreational areas was inaccurate. It showed far less than actually exists. To see a map of any type of recreational areas near the reservoir Oasis NYC has a great mapping system.

Each table had an assigned "facilitator". Park administrator, Debbie Kuha, was the person organizing the process at my table, the "Red Team". People who signed up for the event were randomly assigned a color. Heidi and I ended up at separate tables, but Al Ott and I were at a table together. Also present at our table was Tom Dowd, president of the Ridgewood Homeowner's Association and District Director Tony Forman (representing the office of Congressman Ed Towns). There was one other gentleman at our table, but I can't remember his name (some of the name badges were difficult to read). I thought someone said that he represented the office of New York State Senator Serphin R. Maltese. If I am incorrect, I apologize. Mark Morrison, the president of the company who "won the design competition" looked over our shoulders and participated in the discussion for about 10 minutes. It struck me as a little odd that the department of parks would have already chosen a company to design a facility for a project that was still taking input from the community. The city, allegedly, hadn't even made any decision on the reservoir's future.

A brief introduction about the project was given by Queens Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski. She described an elaborate project that was "on the fast track" to breaking ground. Unfortunately, she had to leave for another event and turned over the podium to Kim Fallon of capital projects. To make a long story as short as possible, we were advised that $50 million had been allocated for the development of an active sports facility at the reservoir. The people who signed up for the meeting were divided into 5 teams and were being asked to design, what we thought, would be an appropriate facility. Kim encouraged us to "think outside the box".

From the onset of our team's "brainstorming" session, it seemed like Ms. Kua was more interested in placing the activities cut-outs into the basin areas on the map, than listening to our concerns. Tom Dowd began by expressing his opinion that the nature of the area should be protected. Both Al and I agreed, but I thought that a school for Urban Conservation and Research should be built at the edge of the reservoir. I think that it is a unique opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind learning institution. My gut feeling was that our facilitator wanted us to feel obligated to use the carefully constructed cardboard cut-outs to fill up the space within the basins.

Here is a brief summary of each team's presentation at the end of the brainstorming session.

Green Team:
They decided not to use any of the active facility icons as there are "already plenty in the surrounding area". Their focus was on passive recreation, a nature center and highlighting some of the areas rich history. The existing running path around the perimeter should be widened and small exercise areas added along the route.

Yellow Team:
This team began by stating that whatever activities occur in one basin will affect the nature in the others. They continued with the notion that sports and nature are competing concepts. It was the second team to propose the construction of a nature center. For sports activities they suggested a skateboard area as there aren't any in the surrounding neighborhoods. Half of Basin 3 would be left untouched and Basins 1 & 2 completely untouched. Given the history of the area they also suggested that a waterworks museum be created.

White Team:
For the third time a group began their presentation by agreeing that it should be left as unspoiled as possible. There should be a nature center, possibly elevated walkways above the basins so people can observe the wildlife from above the canopy. Nothing should be filled in. The old pumps should be restored and a small cafe added in one of the old buildings. If there is any development it should be in Basin 1. They made it very clear that they wanted the nature preserved.

Blue Team:
No longer a surprise, this team began their presentation by stating that the nature of the area was very important. Three out of their six members thought it should not be developed at all. They didn't think that extra parking should be created. If anything, they should expand the existing lot. Because of their concern for the existing natural habitat they recommended that nothing be done without a comprehensive study of each basin. There should be an expansion of the existing green-way into the area and a visitors center built. The old pump house should be restored as an environmental center. Invasive plant species should be removed and monitored with a nursery created to grow plants that would replace the invasives.

The final team was ours, the Red Team. Our presenter, who was chosen by the facilitator, was Tom Dowd. At the start of the discussions Tom surprised Al and myself by talking about the importance of the area's nature and history, although he did have a desire to see an indoor swimming installed in part of Basin 3 ("there are only 11 throughout the city"). He seemed a bit nervous during his presentation and who wouldn't have been, I couldn't have stood up in front of that audience. Through no fault of his own, he basically just read down a list of items that were suggested, primarily, by the facilitator. Towards the end of his speech he remembered all of the conservation points and quickly read through a few.

As the last presenters, the Red Team didn't have the rousing conclusion that would have had a big impact. But, ultimately, it wasn't a problem, because Al decided to address the room from his chair at our table. He spoke about the special qualities of the existing habitat and the common misconception that preserving green spaces is an "us versus the birds" argument. To paraphrase his much more eloquent discourse, "Nature isn't just here for the birds, it's also here for people."

Al is a big man with a commanding voice. While he was talking I looked around the room at the expressions on people's faces. He projected a powerful tone of conviction and honesty that held the room's attention. His opinion was so well received that the room spontaneously broke out in applause.

I was very pessimistic going into the meeting. In politics, despite appearances, sometimes the outcome is preordained. In fact, I found out after the meeting, that there were two parks department employees on one of the teams who were pushing for development. My feeling was that the city would destroy the reservoir's habitats, no matter what happened at any public meetings. Tonight I realized there were more voices speaking for about the intrinsic value of natural habitats than I ever expected. The Department of Parks and Recreation wants to create a world class destination in Ridgewood, what they don't realize is that it already exists. Exploiting its developing habitats as a sanctuary, for both man and animal, and as a teaching facility would bring far more to the entire city than a few sports fields.

Ridgewood Reservoir related stories & links

Inside one of the reservoirs

(Photo credit - Rob Jett)

An Antimosquito Plan the Mosquitoes Might Have Created

City to revitalize reservoirs in Ridgewood as green space

iLand Art Research & Performance

Old Ridgewood Reservoir, Idle Since 1990, To Become Parkland

Reservoir Turning into a Public Park

Ridgewood Reservoir and General Map of the Brooklyn Water-Works System circa 1900

Ridgewood Reservoir to Become Parkland

Scientific American article, January 3, 1891

The Brooklyn Waterworks in Freeport, LI

The East New York Project

The Ridgewood Reservoir has 75,000 new "residents"

Brooklyn Water Works: How the Thirsty City of Brooklyn Got Its Water

Saturday, June 9th at the Ridgewood Reservoir

Part of the original iron fence


Before I get to my post on the Ridgewood Reservoir, I’d like to give a little recognition to a deserving local organization.

Bobby, the wildlife rehabilitator who rescued “Ziggy” after the red-tail’s unsuccessful first flight, probably goes unrecognized most of the time for the service he performs for injured animals. The Daily News has a follow-up article regarding the rescued hawk.

In addition to his full time job as a New York City firefighter, he formed the non-profit organization “Wildlife in Need of Rescue & Rehabilitation”. He handles help calls from Long Island, NYC and Westchester. The Huntington Audubon Society has a nice article about him in their winter newsletter (PDF file). In the article they point out:

“Bobby and his volunteers are state and federally licensed wildlife rehabilitators. They receive no funds from the state, county, or federal governments and are dependent on donations and grants. WINORR is in constant need of supplies for their day-to-day operations. They currently have a wish list of needed items:

paper towels, towels, baby blankets, bleach, baby wipes, cages (crates, bird cages, etc.) and animal carriers.”

If you would like to donate any items, you can contact Stella Miller at (516) 682-5977 for information. If you’d like to make a monetary donation, checks can be made out to “Wildlife in Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation” and sent to:

WINORR, Inc.
202 N. Wyoming Avenue
North Massapequa, NY 11578

A mention is the least I can do for a guy who spends his days saving humans and his leisure time saving animals.

Saturday, June 9th, was my 7th visit to the Ridgewood Reservoir, 6 of which were breeding bird survey days. It hard for me to grasp the concept that the habitats only encompass 50 acres. With every visit I see, hear or smell something different. Regardless of my primary objective of reviewing bird life, I’ve also been informally noting plants, insects and, in Saturday’s case, this guy (or gal):



During one of my first visits to the reservoir I met a man named Angel. He had come by bicycle and was just soaking in his surroundings and a little bit of sun. We began talking and it sounded like he used the reservoir as his sanctuary away from the surrounding city. I asked him about some of his observations over the years and he mentioned some of the expected urban creatures, such as, raccoon and opossum. Then he said, “In the summer there are lizards all over the place.” I thought that maybe he was exaggerating, that maybe once somebody’s pet iguanas escaped into the area. However, iguanas would never survive a typical New York City winter. Angel went on to explain that, once the warm weather arrives, the small reptiles emerge from the openings in the ends of certain pipes. Steve and I looked at each other and thought that maybe this guy was “on the pipe.” At home that night I researched northeastern reptiles but didn’t find anything that I thought would be flourishing in Queens or, for that matter, anywhere in the 5 boroughs.

On Saturday Al Ott and his wife, Karen, joined us for our morning inspection at the reservoir. Al has been very active in the NYC conservation community for many years. He was the driving force that prevented a bike path from being paved through the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. As we walked along the outer edge of the three impoundments I mentioned to Al the story about the lizards. He said that there was a small population of a european species of reptile on Long Island. They appear to be an innocuous presence in the limited pockets that they inhabit in New York, so ecologists have left them alone. It was shortly after that conversation that Steve caught a small lizard in a discarded plastic bottle and brought it over to show us. It was the same species as the one on Long Island, the Italian Wall Lizard. I was able to take some photos through the neck of the bottle, but when I put it on the ground for Steve to photograph, that 4 inch green lizard moved faster than a cheetah on steroids. It vanished into the underbrush before Steve was able to press down on his shutter release.

Newsday published an interesting article about the lizards on Long Island several years back. In the article they posit that:

"The most likely story involves a 1967 shipment destined for a now-defunct pet supply store that was waylaid by a minor accident, a broken crate and some very swift escapees."

I found this explanation to be the type of myth that could never be proven one way or the other. I find it amusing that nearly the exact same folklore has been adapted for the flocks of Monk Parakeets that have colonies in various corners of Brooklyn. It sounds like 1967 was a year of animal conspiracies.

They also have an interactive map that illustrates the expanding range through the borough of Queens. So, Brooklyn has their Monk Parakeets and now Queens has their Italian Wall Lizards.

Tatarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica)


Another species of honeysuckle


Sometimes I feel like as I’ve aged, time has become more compressed. Everything seems to occur much faster; seasons change, children grow, hawks fledge and weeks feel like days. This spring it seems like I’ve missed out on some of the annual changes. When I saw ripe mulberries in Green-Wood Cemetery last week, I thought to myself, “How can the trees already be fruiting when it’s only; oh yeah, it’s nearly July”. Maybe I'm just trying to experience too much at one time.

At the Ridgewood Reservoir, plants that were flowering on my previous visit, were now either covered with young, green berries or already giving up their ripened fruit to the birds. Like most of urban America, there are several species of honeysuckle proliferating around the reservoir habitats. One species that I’ve never noticed before was the Tartan Honeysuckle, which are new covered with vivid orange berries. Flowering Sweetbrier was providing nectar for bees as was the large blooms of the Red Clover. In grassy sections on the outer edges of the running path wild garlic has dropped its petals and were ready for harvesting.

Red Clover


Unidentified damselfly


In addition to hundreds of dragonflies and damselflies (most of which I cannot identify yet), we noticed an abundance of ladybug pupae and larvae. They will be emerging just in time to feed on the aphids that feed off of the plants.

Cottonwood seed snow drift


I’ve learned that the stretch of green space that runs through Queens from Forest Park to the reservoir is a part of the terminal moraine that also includes Prospect Park and Green-Wood Cemetery. The following computer animation of a fly-by from above Long Island and up the Hudson River is on Nasa’s “Visible Earth” website. If you watch closely on the right side of the movie, you’ll see how the elevated terrain of the Ridgewood Reservoir, Green-Wood Cemetery and Prospect Park all align with the ridge on the north shore of Long Island and continues down, through Staten Island. I’ve noted in the past that the hilltop above the reservoir is ringed with mature Eastern Cottonwoods and on Saturday the wind was scattering a snow flurry of their fuzzy seeds. Drifts of goose down-like fluff was piling up along the edges of the running path.



Terminal Moraine


In addition to the Yellow Warblers and Common Yellowthroats that we had noted earlier in the spring, there were still American Redstarts present around the borders of the reservoir. I’m not certain if that means that they are breeding, but it is a positive sign.

Island of moss


Moss closeup


Inside the bog-like basin mosses are proliferating. I’ve been told that it is a good indication of the habitat’s health. I noticed that some of the species of moss were in a stage that could be compared to flowering. With my face against the cool, green carpet of moss I shot some photos of the tendril-like filaments preparing to release their spores. In the same impoundment I found a cluster of wild irises in bloom. I don’t think that I’ve ever seen native irises in New York State, just the engineered varieties that people plant around their lawns or florists deliver in cut flower arrangements.

Moss filaments


More moss


Wild iris (Iris versicolor)


I won’t be able to participate in the next scheduled survey as I will be out of town, but I will be going back on July 14th.

The Ridgewood Reservoir and it’s surrounding habitats are an incredible piece of nature in the most densely populated and developed city in the United States. In fact, I’m amazed that it has managed to escape bulldozers and backhoes for so long. Unfortunately, that may be changing. The mayor has proposed that at least on basin be turned into a recreational facility (i.e.. soccer stadium, baseball fields) while the others "turned into" a nature preserve. I never feel good about it when words like “turn it into a nature preserve” are used to describe a habitat that has already evolved into one, without the help of designers. I’ll be attending the first meeting tomorrow. I'll post some links later tonight that are relevant to the Ridgewood Reservoir.

Below is our species list from June 9th, followed by the cumulative list of species. In 30 hours of surveying the reservoir habitats we have tallied 101 species of birds.

- - - - -

Ridgewood Reservoir, Queens, 6/9/2007
-
Ring-necked Pheasant
Laughing Gull
Chimney Swift
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Willow Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
House Wren
Gray Catbird
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow Warbler
American Redstart
Common Yellowthroat
Eastern Towhee
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch

Other common species seen (or heard):
Mallard, Herring Gull, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, American Crow, American Robin, European Starling, Northern Cardinal, Song Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, House Finch, House Sparrow

Complete survey list as of June 9th (4/27/07, 5/5/07, 5/12/07, 5/19/07, 5/28/07, 6/9/07):

Horned Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Canada Geese
Wood Duck
Mallard
Ring-necked Duck
Hooded Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Rink-necked Pheasant
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Red shouldered
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
American Woodcock
Laughing Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Common Nighthawk
Chimney Swift
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood Pewee
Willow Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
House Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby Crowned Kinglet
Blue-grey Gnatcatcher
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
Gray Catbird
European Starlings
Cedar Waxwing
Blue-winged Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Pine Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Palm Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Worm-eating Warbler
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
Canada Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Rusty Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown Headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrows