Clue #2 for Our New Episode

Do you know how all this works? You will soon if you stay tuned for a new episode of City Science Kids—coming soon!

Finally! We're Working on a New Episode

And here's the first clue:

Stay tuned to this space for more clues as summer winds down!

Who Ate the Eggs?

A few weeks ago, my friends Carolyn and Dave found this mallard duck hanging out on the sailboat they moor in City Island in the Bronx:

They thought she was just resting, or possibly attempting to hitch a ride somewhere. But the next time they went out to the boat they found these:

It's not such an easy thing to take your boat out for a sail when there are mallard eggs rolling all over the deck. It's certainly dangerous for the eggs, and also, extremely stressful for their mother-to-be. So, Carolyn and Dave contacted a woman known as the Duck Whisperer, who works at a place on the Upper West Side of Manhattan called the Wild Bird Fund, which rescues all kinds of birds around the city, including pigeons and swans with broken feet and migrating songbirds that crash into buildings. The Duck Whisperer recommended that they build these eggs a nest:

Which Dave did, using a pillowcase, rope, the seat from a broken chair he found on the street. He gently put the eggs into the nest hoping that, eventually, he'd be able to move the whole thing off the boat, so the mother mallard could hatch them in peace (although, she looks pretty peaceful in these photos):

Last week came news from Carolyn that the nest was down to only three eggs. And today I learned that as of this weekend, all five eggs had disappeared. What could have happened to them? 

Most likely, they were eaten. And most likely, they were eaten by seagulls—although other common city pests, such as crows, rats, and raccoons also eat duck eggs. An alternative theory, since there was no evidence of broken shells on the deck, is that the eggs were doomed to never hatch and the mother mallard pushed them into the water. 

Regardless, it's certainly a sad day for duck rescue. But we're crossing fingers that the mother mallard has much, much better luck next year.

Vet Checks for the Wild Horses of Assateague

Over spring break, we traveled to Virginia to visit the Chincoteague ponies that live on Assateague Island. Along with Mustangs in the western part of the country, these horses (genetically, they're actually horses, not ponies) are among the last wild horses in the United States. There are three herds of them: one on the northernmost, Maryland, end of the island; and two on the southernmost, Virginia, end of the island. The horses in Maryland are managed by the National Park Service (NPS) and they are truly wild; they have very little contact with humans. The only interference they receive from the NPS is contraception, to keep their herd at around 150 animals. Otherwise, they would take over the island and destroy the habitat for other animals.

The Virginia herds are owned by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department. If you've ever read Misty of Chincoteague by Margeuerite Henry, then you've already had an introduction to these horses! And you've probably already heard of the annual pony swim that happens every July. This is how the firemen keep their horse population down at 150 animals—they drive yearlings across the Chincoteague Bay, and auction them off. 

But every spring and fall, the firemen also give veterinary care to the horses. That's what you'll see in this episode—along with the amazing roundup by the Saltwater Cowboys who bring them in to the corral. 

To learn more about the history of the wild horses of Assateague, visit the National Park Service. 

A three-day-old foal with his mother.

We're Working on a New Episode!

And it has to do with this:

Stay tuned for updates!

More Ponies of Chincoteague

This fuzzy little cutie is named Pixie Dust. She was a late foal, born in the summer of 2014, and shortly after she popped into the world her mother, Angel Wings, died of colic. Pixie Dust was taken away from the wild herd on Assateague and raised on a nearby farm. This was the first day she was introduced to the other yearlings of the wild herd. So far, they were rejecting her: chasing her away from their hay piles, snubbing her when she approached, and several times, kicking and biting at her. Veteran herd-watchers were sure they would accept her eventually, once they were released from this corral where they were all waiting for a visit from the vet, and let loose on the reserve. City Science Kids is rooting for Pixie Dust!!

We'll have more news soon about the ponies of Chincoteague. Stay Tuned!

Happy Spring Break!

City Science Kids is in Chincoteague, VA, an island hop away from the Assateague nature preserve, where the wild equines roam (locals call them ponies, even though technically, they're horses)! We'll have more to report soon but meanwhile, here's a photo of the stallion, Riptide. On Monday, he broke out of the island's fenced horse habitation with his band of four mares in tow, including his dam, Surf Queen. When we stumbled on them, rangers were leading the band down the main beach road and back into the enclosure.