I was birding just east of the Ross Pinetum in Central Park at approximately 83rd Street this morning at 11:30 when a Red-Bellied Woodpecker fell out of a deciduous tree about 30 feet away from me. There were no predators in the area. Baffled as to what happened, I walked over to the bird and saw that it had a dart in its head close to its eye. It had been shot dead. The red head makes for an easy target.
I reported the incident at the CP Precinct and was able to show them a couple poor cell phone photos. It is the only report of this type they've received. They will notify the Conservancy. The Desk Sergeant suggested I alert the birding community to be watchful. [As I told him, "We are and we have binoculars"!] If anyone comes across another bird that has been killed in this manner, please report it to the police. The precinct is located on the 86th St. Transverse; the direct phone number is: 212 570 4820. Melanie NYC -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
