HomeMy WebLinkAboutJanuary 18, 1979 - Winter DucksGOLDENEYES -The oldtime gunners called them whistlers because on quiet days you could hear their "whistling" wings across
Because we live here on Long Island. and
particularly the North Fork, we are in
constant visual contact with the Sound, bay
and our creeks. One would have to be
wearing blinders not to see the variety of
activity on these waters. Whether its
summer boaters or clammers or fishermen
or gulls or ducks. something is always going
on.
Last week I had occasion to take part in
another type of bird count. The 1979
Federation Waterfowl Census. This, unlike
the annual Christmas Bird Count, only deals
with waterfowl and covert all the water
areas, not just select ones.
My area was from Mattituck Inlet east -to
Orient Point. The target date was the
weekend before, but because of the snow
and rain we were forced to use this weekend,
still Acluded in they census period. The
choice was not much better, but at least the
rain held off 'til afternoon when we had
gotten most of our walking behind us.
The most common group of ducks we
found were the scoters. These big black
ducks that move into our area each winter, to
feed on the mussels and crustaceans that
abound, are rugged in- dividuals. Ice
has taken over much of their breeding area
now and so, like many of us, they move
south to a more palatable climate. Basically
there
are three types of scoters that we
see in our bays and the Sound. Very seldom do
we find them in our creeks, as they are
deep water divers and so stay outside the
shallow creek areas. At first glance they
all look the same, big and dark on the
water, but like people when we get a closer look,
we then see the individual dif- ferences.
The most common
of the scoters is the white- winged scoter.
As the name' implies, the male has
a patch of white in its wing that can be seen
very clearly when it flies. The female is a
bit more difficult to distinguish, for it has
a small white wave above the eye which is a
bit more difficult to see unless we have our binoculars
out. Other Scoters Identified
The second scoter
is the surf scoter, or skunk head as
the old -time gunners called it. It has a
large white patch on the back of its head and a
large, flat,gaudy,orangish bill. Up close it'
s a handsome duck with that snow -white cap
and colorful bill. The last of
the scoters is the common or American scoter -an
all blackish-brown-bird with no distinct
markings. All theselsirds are cold water
ducks that spend most of their lives gleaning
the bottoms of the sea for fish, crustaceans
and algae. Like all the sea ducks, rough
weather has little effect on them, as most
of the time they are under water in a
quiet, serene world of semi- darkness. Gardiners Bay,
Orient Harbor, Shelter Island Sound,
Southold Bay and both Little and Great
Peconic Bays are where these winter transients
can be seen almost any time. The
other sea
duck you'll find in these hay areas is the
beautiful and stately goldeneye, or as the
gunners say the whistler ". This duck can be
identified by its sound, for on quiet days you'
ll hear its wings "whistling" across the bay
as it speeds off to a new location to feed.
Again this is a duck of our bays and Sound
and not generally a creek feeder. The goldeneye
is
easily identified visually if you have
your binoculars -with you, for it has a greenish -
black head with a big round white spot on
its cheek. The back also has white markings on
it. Of course, if you are close enough you
can actually see the golden eye the bird
is named for. But this is so in- conspicuous it is
easily missed. Immatures and females appear
smaller and have brownish heads 'and
grey -white bodies, rather nondescript. Look
for the male with his gaudy markings
and you'll usually find females about. Here
again ee have a true cold weather duck.
As a young person years: ago I can
remember looking up in the classic volumes, Birds of
Ne‘.v ;'ors, and finding the Fuertes`solnr plate
picturing the male and females sitting' in
a field of ice floes. its a classic picture and
represents them well. Of interest is the
fact that these ducks are tree nesters when we.
generally think of most ducks nesting on
the ground e: :cept, of course, for the
well -known tree - nesting woos. duck. This
gaudy black-and-white duc':, along with
the oldsc;uaw, -are my two favorite choices of
winter ducks. Get to know them. Protected
By Nature
Nature has done
a remarkable job of giving these birds
extra protection against But alas. they
are being threatened every day. not by
the natural elements but by man. Oil
spills
are the real danger. We've all seen oiled birds
and it is a pitiful sight. but I'm afraid.
like the tip of the iceberg. its only a small
part of what really is happening to much of
our wildlife. Forget the hunting pressure, that is
minimal. It's the destruction of habitat
that is continually going on. almost
unnoticed. throughout the world, that is
the problem. Scientists have told
us that the visible oil from an oil
spill is only a small part of the Story. The oil
that has dissolved in the sea water and the
heavy particles that have h settled to
the bottom to mingle ith the s_ea's delicate food chain
is really the disaster. Like the buffalo -
take away the range they feed on
and you can almost eliminate the species. This
availability of food has far - reaching implications -- not
only to the wildlife that we
speak of here but to man who is at
the top of the food chain. And so when we read
of people concerned about birds being killed
by an oil spill. remember it goes deeper
than that. Its the whole concept we're
concerned about. much of which we don'
t even understand or know about in today'
s world of modern technology. These oil
spill
disasters are true and immediate disasters to
wildlife and they should ring a
clear message to all of us. Like the bell for
Adano. let's remember they're really ringing for
us. MERLON WIGGIN by
ROBERT WINTERNITZ
Interestingly - enough, one
of the most business. Meanwhile- his sltoolEteacther crucial jobs at
Plum Island is not held down mother, author of historical books. is still by a scientist,
but by an engineer, the man writing. responsible 'for the
design, operation, Merlon Wiggin started in the lumber maintenance, and construction
of all business too. The first 25 cents he earned at laboratory and support
facilities. It is up to the age of five was for bundling shingles in him to insure
that all laboratory supporting his father's sawmill. where he continued to functions, from marine
transportation -to- wor{ci$iring off hours while going to school. electrical generating equipment
and laboratory air and
filter systems, are fully operable. The effectiveness
of the Island's safety program is
dependent on the systems this man designs,
operates and maintains. The man in
question is 48- year -old Merlon l.i Wiggin,
chief of engineering and plant management, who carries
out his respon- sibility with the
assistance of more than a hundred engineers, marine
personnel, and expert craftsmen in
all trades; and, oh yes. he added, most
important of all, an efficient secretary. He hails
from
a small town in Maine and has an interesting
background. His father. a farmer and lumberman,
retired a while back but found
he could not stand it. So father bought himself
a sawmill to replace the one he
sold and is back in the lumber Merlon was among
the lucky young ters who, instead of
being turned off by high school, reveled in
it -- studies and sports both. He was
on the baseball team and was a track star, setting
a record for the 1.000 - yard run: he
excelled in studies too. Young Wiggin went
to the University of Maine in the
class of 1953. Working his way. influenced by his
father and the high school principal. he majored
in agricultural engineering and minored
in civil engineering. Another one
of his activities was to get
married the summer of his sophomore year. Here
is what
occurred. He was on a bus going from Providence.
R.I. to Portland. Maine. where he
had a date. Also On the bus continued on page
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