MarkGelbart
Well-known member
Circa 1626, 1 English hunter bagged 100 prairie chickens in 1 day south of where Times Square is located today. Times Square was a beaver pond surrounded by red maple trees then. Actually, the birds were heath hens which may be a different species than the prairie chickens, but scientists can't determine this for sure because there aren't any mainland specimens in museums to do a comparative analysis.
http://markgelbart.wordpress.com/2013/05/27/new-york-city-used-to-be-a-hunters-paradise/
New York City used to be a hunter's paradise. The birding must have been spectacular too. Unfortunately, back then, most people shot birds for the hell of it. Oftentimes for supper. The first settlers in New York City, then known as New Amsterdam, were shepherds, but wolves ate all their sheep, so they had to eat whatever they could kill or buy from the Indians.
Hundreds of ospreys and eagles nested on The Narrows Cliffs. The new immigrants complained they couldn't sleep because of all the noise from the ducks and geese. They also complained that a wall of swans blocked their view of the Hudson River.
They didn't know how lucky they were.
http://markgelbart.wordpress.com/2013/05/27/new-york-city-used-to-be-a-hunters-paradise/
New York City used to be a hunter's paradise. The birding must have been spectacular too. Unfortunately, back then, most people shot birds for the hell of it. Oftentimes for supper. The first settlers in New York City, then known as New Amsterdam, were shepherds, but wolves ate all their sheep, so they had to eat whatever they could kill or buy from the Indians.
Hundreds of ospreys and eagles nested on The Narrows Cliffs. The new immigrants complained they couldn't sleep because of all the noise from the ducks and geese. They also complained that a wall of swans blocked their view of the Hudson River.
They didn't know how lucky they were.