HomeMy WebLinkAboutApril 24, 1975 - Who's First With the Eggs_Focus On Nature
Who's First
With The Eggs?
by Paul Stoutenburgh
Usually when you enter our yard you're greeted, or perhaps I should say harassed,
by three white geese. People sort of
ignore them because generally they're not a
problem. Lately though, it's a different story!
People are now chased and hissed at.Some don't get out of the car
at all!Why the aggression now, when beforeitwasonlypassive?The days grow longer and the heart stronger in geese, chickens, birds and as a matter of fact—well,you know the story.The gander is protectinghistwoladyfriendswhoarelayingeggsnow.One has a nest in our window wellandtheotherisjustthinkingaboutwheretoputone.Anyone who has had
chickens knows now's the time for egg-laying. Even the city dweller knows the price ofeggsisdownbecauseofover-production at this time of year. Our Bantams arereallydoingajob.They not only lay their eggs in the chicken coop but in the barn,undertheporch,in the hay pile or anywhere in the woods. Talk about an Easter egg hunt—wehaveoneeverydayatourhouse.The problem is if we don't locatetheeggs, a clutch will develop and then some day we'll miss the little brown orblackhen. That's right—she's setting.That's open game now for Mr. Fox.Can't blame him. We've kept them locked up
each night and now here it is—Christmas dinner with the trimmings of a dozen eggs to boot. It's happened more than once!Some birds
in the wild are already sitting on their clutches of eggs.I know where
there
is one bird that has young now. Yes,
right here on the North Fork there is
a Great Horned Owl that had eggs in lateFebruaryorearlyMarch. This bird, nesting on the North Shore, is so rare that I darenottellanyonewhereitis. This species of owl has been known to incubate her eggs during freezingweather, with snow completely covering the bird. Seems the owl doesn't have to wait fornature's food supply to break out of its winter sleep as most other birdsdo. Rather they hunt better when the leaves are off the trees. So food for their young is
available almost any time.Another early nester is the Swan. We should, by now, know where our ownpetpairarenesting. Most of their nesting sites
have been picked out and that large reedy nest
built. Already eggs have been seen in
one of the nests on a Nature Conservancy Sanctuary in Mattituck. By the way, they deserve great respect, as
I
can vouch for from a canoe trip Judd Bennett and I once took up in the Yaphank
Lakes one spring.We made quite a sight in
our canoe going just as fast as we could down lake with Mr.Gander in
hot pursuit. We had,unknowingly, gotten too closetohis "lady fair", who was nesting on one of the small island bogs in the lake.The Mourning Dove—the one we hear that many people mistake for an owl whencalling, is another early nester. I've found the crude stick nests in mid-April.The nestsareusuallysoflimsyyoucanlookupthrough
them and see the eggs. To keep the eggs warm, they bring the eggs up under their
feathers right next to their skin.
During and after incubation you can tell a
bird that
has been setting by what is called an "incubation patch" in the feathers; kind of like a part in your hair. It's quite noticeable.The first photograph I ever took of a Prairie Horned Lark was over in Westhampton on a drivingrange. I couldn't believe it.I'd seen them there on the course and couldn'tbelievetheywerecollectinginsects. Here it was early April. But sure enough, back and forththeyflew. With a little patience and a pair of binoculars, Ifinallylocatedthenest.It was nesting there in a depression in the grass with fourfluffylittlebirdshuddledtogether. It was a rare treat to set my blind up and photographthemasthecoldwindsweptacrossthearea.Closer to home I photographed a KilldeeranditschicksontheGreenportHighSchoolgrounds.The school was just being built and theroughopengroundmadeanexcellentspotforthisgroundnestertobuild. It was nice
to see the rough, rugged bulldozer operator with the 10-ton machine avoid the
nest. I told him what it was and sure
enough—work went on everywhere but
there! Again it was only April. I've seen a
pair of Killdeer on the driving range outside
Greenport for the past three weeks. In the
early morning they look half frozen, but by
the time I go by in the afternoon they're
moving about as if spring was here to stay.
We've many early nesters here on Long
Island. I've mentioned only a few. Like
spring, it's encouraging to see how nature
persists.That ever onward,never die spirit
is something we all could take heed of.
Perhaps we've had it too easy and our
natural instincts have been slowed down.