As dawn was breaking upon my fire escape I watched as a large grey rodent slowly crept out of the shadows. Then I wondered if I’d have found it to be even remotely cute if it hadn’t had that bushy tail.
For whatever reason, squirrels are cool – hell, I even see people feeding them out of their hands in the park. Yet when you take off that “tail-fro,” their close relatives within the rodentia order get a much frostier reception.
Hudson County has its share of vermin (insert political joke here), but there’s a decent amount of other wildlife to observe in this concrete corner of the Garden State should you find the time to notice. They run the gamut, from the cute and fuzzy to the downright badass, reminding us that we’re not the only ones trying to make a living in the big city.
The area around Stevens Institute in Hoboken is a sort of natural oasis. Walk through the campus and you can’t help but notice the abundance of robins, starlings and mockingbirds. Recently I’ve observed an even larger avian variety in the area with the presence of a few grackles, cardinals and warblers – to the point that I sometimes carry my trusty Birds of North America Field Guide when I’m out taking a stroll. Yes, I’ve become THAT geek – right down to the binoculars. In college I took an ornithology class to kill off a science requirement and I’ve been a fan of our feathered friends ever since. Good thing I didn’t take entomology instead…
Stroll around Stevens often enough and you’re bound to bump into possibly the fattest groundhog I’ve ever seen, hanging out around the Howe Center. It has absolutely no fear of humans, meaning it’s likely the only creature on a college campus that has never seen Caddyshack. Meanwhile Stevens Park after dark is like something out of Watership Down, downright overrun by roving gangs of rabbits. There’s a warren living behind the Carnegie Laboratory on Hudson between Fifth & Sixth, often marked by the cluster of baby carrots left by a concerned neighbor. Life sure is easier when you’re cute and fuzzy; not that I’d ever know…
When you’ve seen as much of Hudson County in the wee hours as I have, you’re bound to notice some wild stuff. I’ve spotted a handful of raccoons, which despite their cute and fuzzy appearance are actually some of the meanest little bastards I’ve ever come across. Uptown near the Viaduct in Hoboken I’ve spotted a family of skunks, another animal to which I give a wide berth. In Church Square Park I’ve even spotted an opossum, which I mistook at the time as the fattest, slowest rat I had ever seen.
Back on the topic of birds, there are a few that stand out among the pigeons and rock doves. The Hudson is home to numerous geese, ducks, brants and other waterfowl, whose foul droppings are wreaking havoc on the wheels of the Bugaboo strollers near Maxwell Place. Meanwhile Liberty State Park is teeming with all sorts of birds that seem almost out of place considering the surrounding environs.
Of course, with all this previously mentioned prey running, floating and flying around a few enterprising predators have decided to brave the rents and take up residence. A couple weeks back the Hudson Reporter ran a story on a family of ospreys living in Jersey City. Also, in southwest Hoboken you’ll find a group of peregrine falcons who terrorize the skies like Messerschmitts. I’ve been lucky enough to witness a few of their aerial sorties, and the tension in the air is palpable when you see the pigeons trying in vain to evade these magnificent hunters.
I’ve always been a sucker for wildlife, provided it’s not scurrying across my kitchen floor. There’s something about seeing an animal, particularly when you see it in such an oppressively urban setting like ours, which buoys the spirit makes you remember that we’re all in this together. It’s important to realize they’re there, and it’s certainly worthwhile to stop and take the time to notice.
Christopher M. Halleron, freelance writer/retired bartender, writes a biweekly humor column for The Midweek Reporter. Like a well-made Manhattan, he’s stirred but never shaken. Feel free to comment on his columns by going to www.hudsonreporter.com and clicking “opinion” and then “columns” in the upper left, or drop him a line at chris@chrishalleron.com. You can follow him at http://twitter.com/HALLERON.