Coffey Park

The Daily Plant : Thursday, December 20, 2007

Many Birds Of Many Different Feathers Flock Together

Photo by Malcolm Pinckney

There are 57 species of birds and 7,771 individual birds in Central Park, according to the final tally of the 108th Christmas Bird Count held in Central Park on December 16.

Teams of citizen birdwatchers, guided by Urban Park Rangers, spent the (cold) morning canvassing all 843 acres of Central Park identifying and counting each and every bird in a game of ornithological “I Spy.” Following the bird count, participants gathered at the historic Arsenal 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, 2007 to January 5, 2008. 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 sweet home to 7,771 birds, the highest number of birds counted in at least the last four years,” said Commissioner Benepe. “Beginning birdwatchers and avian aficionados alike did a fantastic job surveying the park and identifying an array of birds throughout the park’s winter wonderland, from resident White-throated Sparrows and Ring-billed Gulls to the rare Brown-headed Cowbird and Northern Harrier. There were two (Mute) Swans a-swimming, but no partridge in a pear tree. Special thanks to the New York City Audubon Society and Central Park Conservancy for co-hosting this 108th annual holiday tradition that allows New Yorkers to become citizen scientists in their local park.”

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 four Rusty Blackbirds. The largest flocks spotted were of the Common Grackle, White-throated Sparrow, European Starling, and Herring Gull. Large numbers of Mallards, House Sparrows, and Canada Geese 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.

MEET THE GARDENER

In Tuesday’s Daily Plant, we mentioned that “Meet the Gardener” is one of the many community events that have been fostered as part of the Neighborhood Parks Initiative program. We also included a photograph of Coffey Park in Red Hook, highlighting some of the great work that our NPI gardeners do in 33 parks across the city. What we failed to mention is that the “Meet the Gardener” program actually initiated in Coffey Park! The first event was held in October 2005 and was put together by Assistant Gardener John Clark. That first year, the program was held at five NPI sites. It serves as a great way for gardeners to interact with park users and gain essential feedback.

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

“Derive happiness in oneself from a good day’s work,
from illuminating the fog that surrounds us.”

Henri Matisse
(1869 – 1954)