Lets Restore the Forest Park (Queens) Bird Feeding Station!

Keep this beautiful park bird friendly!

Feed the birds as before.

NYC parks are a major waypoint for migratory birds. Tons of species to be found. If the bird feeding has been going on for 15 years, why let it be undone with a single complaint?

These feeders are located at the Forest Park Waterhole, which is a first-class spot in the city for warbler migration in the spring and has been the site of trips sponsored by New York Audubon. As someone who has participated in winter feedings for the past few years, I can attest both the abundance and species diversity of the birds there. I've brought many people here to experience the thrill of having black-capped chickadees eat out of their hand. It's magic. In addition to the species already mentioned, I've seen fox sparrows, brown creepers, and yellow-bellied sapsuckers at that location during the winter. To the folks at the Parks Department I ask that they continue permitting the feeding station to continue. It brings enjoyment to many in the neighborhood, which is one of the goals of the Parks department. More importantly, it provides food for our dwindling bird population. Birders tend to be people who respect the environment, don't leave trash, and clean it up if they see it. The feeding station hurts no one and benefits many. Please let it continue. Joe Smulkstis

Safe the birds.

There are hundreds of birders and strollers who benefit from the feeders, which keep the birds going during the depths of the winter.

My comment echoes many of the sentiments already shared here. Who is benefiting from this discontinuation of service? Certainly not the birds! Why cut this service from Queens only, and not NYC Parks-wide? Oh right, it's because things in Queens are never as important as their counterparts in Manhattan and Brooklyn. If there isn't a food source for these amazing birds, isn't it logical that they will *leave* the area in search of food elsewhere? Why would the Parks dept. want to deprive the visitors of this park such beautiful creatures and force the birds to find a new home?

Since he was seven or eight, my son has loved to walk to the feeding station to watch the birds. He has learned to identify dozens of birds there. I have loved being there also.

As one of the ongoing people who feed the birds in Forest Park, I am saddened by the knee jerk response to a complaint against the feeding of birds in the park. What about the trolling men? What about the rapist?? Those are the things that make that park a problem . It's certsinlt not me and the others who love birds and nature. You need to re evaluate this ridiculous stAnce. Central Park has allowed a bird feeding area for years . What gives??

Certain types of bird-feeding are actually harmful to birds (eg feeding bread to ducks) and yet are tolerated in many city parks. Feeding suitable food such as birdseed and suet is acceptable and in fact encouraged by the National Audubon Society and others: it augments limited wild food sources, and doesn't acclimate the birds to humans the way that hand-feeding does. It is to be applauded both in city parks and private homes. Feeders often provide the first observation of birds that can lead to a lifetime of responsible appreciation for nature, just the type of connection with the natural world and conservation ethos the Parks Dept should be working to encourage. I can't fathom why these feeders were removed! Please allow their return.

Just some of the regular birds that feed at the waterhole feeders: chickadees, 3-5 species of woodpeckers, cardinals, sparrows, hawks, nuthatches, et), and last winter we had two pine warblers overwinter! The feeders provide a welcome nature break during the winter months for people, and a known food source for the birds to help them survive our sometimes brutal winters. Local schools bring classes to help introduce them to nature and the outdoors. Surely we can get the Parks Dept to recognize the value of a tradition THAT COSTS THEM ABSOLUTELY NOTHING FROM THEIR BUDGET!

Our birds need all the help they can get, while seving us by eating nasty bugs earlier in the year.

Pure simple enjoyment for New York City residents and a strong attraction to visiting tourists who want to see the birds of New York City up close. OK some regulation is warranted so no problem there. But, outright prohibition is totally uncalled for.

The feeders are a public service to the birding community. Who is benefited by removing them??

A number of bird species have visited the Forest Park feeders in the past few winters. I counted 19 different species in just one hour this past January, including a seldom seen Pine Siskin. The feeders bring joy to birds, birders and non-birders alike.

Restore the bird feeders in forest park queens

Bird feeders are a continued attraction for the users of the park, both human and avian. They provide a source of food for avian users during the long cold winter and should be maintained!

Thanks for listening.

The feeders are important in two major ways--they feed birds during our tough winters and they help educate the people of Queens about birds.