We went on a Linnaean Society of NY birding walk yesterday and took a few photos along the way. The Chickadee was so close that one could have touched it. These birds are not behaving naturally. This means some people are not respecting the park rules to not hand feed wild animals.
The USDA says, “Feeding wildlife can lead to a number of serious problems: Human food is not healthy for wild animals, and they do not need food from humans to survive. Wild animals have specialized diets, and they can become malnourished or die if fed the wrong foods.”
Also it can impact some birds migration. “Some scientists believe accipiters like Cooper’s hawks and sharp-shinned hawks forego migration in some areas due to the abundance of prey at bird feeders, a behavior called short-stopping.”
The worst thing to do is feed bread to ducks, geese, swans, and other waterfowl bread. Any bread not consumed by ducks pollutes waterways, threatening the other creatures in the ecosystem like fish, turtles, and other wildlife. There are healthy alternatives but I would recommend against it in a public park.
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus), Central Park 4/6/2021 
Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii), Central Park 4/6/2021 
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia), Central Park 4/6/2021 
Central Park 4/6/2021 
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius), Central Park 4/6/2021 
Cherry (Prunus), Central Park 4/6/2021 
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa), Central Park 4/6/2021 
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), Central Park 4/6/2021 
Cherry (Prunus), Central Park 4/6/2021
Sherry Felix - port4u 
Phenomenal images and description! M 🙂
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Thank you. And thanks for dropping by.
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Beautiful pictures. The mallards tail is awesome. It looks like an artwork!
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The tail is the best part 🙂 Thanks.
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Your Central Park photos were a complete joy, Sherry. Wonderful to see which birds greeted you, and each photo is a work of art. My favorite photos were the song sparrow on the log (unique), the yellow-bellied sapsucker on the birch tree (similar textures), and the reflection of NYC. Cherry blossoms up close and afar were a treat. Also appreciated your words of wisdom regarding feeding birds human food.
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Thanks so much Jet. I was passing on some of what Linnaean Society of NY members are talking about. We have noticed changes in bird and people behavior during the pandemic.
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Wonderful stuff, Sherry! 🙂
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Thanks Tom
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Great photos and good advice, Sherry. I liked your Cooper’s hawk and kinglet photos – predator & prey. Here in Bend there has been a salmonella outbreak and people have been advised to take their feeders down. I never had feeders at our house, just plenty of water.
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Thanks. I heard about the salmonella outbreak. It could be OK to feed birds in the winter if the feeders are washed daily. Humming bird feeders in the summer need to be kept clean too. Unfortunately, that is hard to police.
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I agree.
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Thanks Anne. I saw Louise today at Morrison. It was good to see her briefly.
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A good set. We have similar problems with people feeding ponies and donkeys – ignoring warnings
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I’ve noticed wildlife feeding has increased since the pandemic
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The cautions against feeding every sort of wildlife are well taken. Every now and then I see people feeding alligators; eventually, creatures will confuse the hand that feeds them with food, and that’s when real problems begin.
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Yikes! That’s very foolish.
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Nice to see Central Park in such a positive light focusing on the nature. When I used to live in Brooklyn and work in Manhattan, I would take my lunch breaks by walking in Central Park. Must have done that hundreds and hundreds of times.What a privilege it was. Alas, I haven’t been back in at least 15 years.
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It is a great place to catch sight of Spring Warblers (coming soon). Where are you now?
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Oh, I’ve been in SE Asia for the last decade and a half. Only been back once.
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Those Cooper’s must realize just how cool they look as they are always posing for the cameras ha! – nice shots.
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It is amazing that in my lifetime I have seen so many birds of prey adapt to urban environments. Adapt or perish is the rule.
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Beautiful photo captures of these birds. Love the clarity. Thank you for sharing with us, Sherry!
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Thanks Amy
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These are beautiful photos, Sherry. Thanks for sharing and for providing the information about them.
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Thanks Dan. Glad you like them.
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Stunning captures!!!
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Thank you so much.
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You are most welcome! You really take some excellent images! 🙂
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