Dog Owners and Bird Watchers

According to this article in the March, 2011 "Car and Travel", a monthly publication of the Automobile Club of New York, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says that "more than 40 million Americans take an interest in observing birds". According to the Humane Society, as of the end of 2009 there were approximately 77.5 million owned dogs in the United States and on average, owners have 1.7 dogs. That works out to 45.6 million dog owners. The Humane Society also says that about 39% of U.S. households have at least one dog. Some--we'd guess few--dog owners are also bird-watchers. But these numbers show that the number of bird-watchers isn't materially less than the number of dog owners. So why the disparity in treatment? Why are the most desirable bird-watching areas in New York City in essence give over just to dog-owners during the most desirable bird-watching times of the day, 365 days a year?