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It's almost hard to believe when you look out your window and see nothing but metal, glass and asphalt, but New York City is home to an amazing array of wildlife. And some of these inhabitants are quite varied-- and not only the roaches, pigeons and rats you might expect.
Many of the more unusual species make their homes in the outer boroughs-- which makes sense, considering these places contain a greater amount of wooded parkland. But did you know we have flocks of parrots, opossums and raccoons right here in Manhattan? And occasionally we have an unusual wild visitor-- in 1995 a Florida Manatee was spotted in the East River. So use this topic to post news, memories and reflections about wildlife in this big city...

In my neighborhood, the Lower West Side, I have spotted Mourning Doves and Owls. A pair of noisy crows lives out back, and a large colony of bats (which I love, of course) has taken up residence in the framework of one of those huge advertising signs that seem to perch on every building down here. They leave their nest every evening at sunset, and it is quite a sight to see. I also often see falcons and hawks swooping from their nests on the taller buildings. Of course the most famous hawk these days, Pale Male, resides much further uptown, high above Fifth Avenue, off Central Park. He even has his own website:

here

And recently, a year-old harp seal came to visit near Battery Park City. Isn't she lovely?
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I liked this lonely little thread, so I had to post to keep it company. I read an article in the New York Press (that is right wing leaning paper, isn't it? I read with a hearty dose of skeptism so I am not accidentally brain washed by subliminals like in those Bush ads with the "rats" thing)that there is a bigfoot that forages at Fresh Kills on Staten Island and is called Trashsquatch.
On a more mundane note: My landlord In Brooklyn set out poison to kill the rats, but it unfortunately killed some of those little budgie birds, are they finches?, and I was heartbroken. I love those little birds.
I love the city, but I think it is in a constant battle against nature. I find it very touching to my pagan soul when I see grass peeking out from the cracks in the pavement or vacant lots that become overgrown with brush in a short period of time. Mother Nature always reclaims her space.
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Those little birds are actually a kind of tropical green parrot, the Monk Parrot, that has escaped into the wild and, against all odds, seems to thrive in this northeastern climate. Some believe they came from careless pet owners and others theorize they escaped en-masse from a broken crate at Kennedy airport nearly 30 years ago. There are a great many flocks in Brooklyn and Queens and in the past few years, flocks of the lime colored, noisy birds have been spotted in Central Park and Northern Manhattan.
Con Edison seems to have a problem with the birds though, because their intricate communal nests, which apparently can weigh several tons, are often built on electrical structures and can cause the equipment to malfunction. It should be noted, however, that these birds had absolutely nothing to do with the last two blackouts we experienced at the hands of the utility that gouges its customers with some of the highest rates in the country.
Are these not sparrows? On sunday morning... it was real quite yet the sound of the birds from the back 'courtyard' area of my apt was so loud.. u would never believe i was in the middle of Manhattan ...So sad but for YEARS this courtyard area behind me is just concrete mess/junk yard.. soo wish that the folks who have that space would do SOMETHING with it!! Could be SO amazing.. am all excited to start shopping for my fire escape garden once weather picks up again... will go crazy in the farmers market!
BTW the sparrow population in the Uk is on a MAJOR decline...they think due to bullying magpies and sparrowhawks! (huh they are less hot puerto rican boys in my hood too... could that be cos of that hawk Sweeties?)

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