STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Tonja Fenton was on one of her regular, midday fishing expeditions when she noticed a small bird lying on some tree branches near the water.
This is a common sight at Wolfe’s Pond Park in Prince’s Bay, which has an extensive bird population living at its beach and in its waters, but this was no ordinary bird sighting. This was a Black-crowned night heron, a largely nocturnal bird known for its stocky appearance and piercing red eyes.
The species is common in New York, but a recent Audubon New York City Bird Alliance study found that there has been a dropoff in Black-crowned Night Heron numbers…