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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJanuary 26, 1995 - Winter's Irresistible Call of the Wild6A • The Suffolk Times • January 26, 1995 Winter's Irresistible Call of the Wild BY Paul Stoutenburgh Who can resist the call of geese as they pass overhead? No matter who is within earshot of these monarchs of the airways, time will be given to their at- tention. Even the old -aged gunner whose days have left the field will be aroused from his favorite chair by their Focus onhauntingcalland get up and go to Nature the door to scan the sky for one more glimpse of these harbingers of cherished memories. Of all the wildfowl that are found throughout our island, these giants, the Canada geese, are probably the most well known of all. Their abundance has swelled within the past 10 to 15 years and it is a common sight to see them feeding in the open farm fields. Should you go to Riverhead any day in the late afternoon you can be guaranteed geese will be flying overhead as they mill about before heading to greener pastures them when they hide amongst the grasses and stubble of the pond. How six or eight baby geese can seemingly disappear without a trace is hard to believe, but take it from me, I have seen them disappear even though I've tried to locate them. In the meantime the male and female will call wild- ly and move about flapping their wings to draw you away from their young. When the danger is past, a rallying call is given and the troops assemble in line with the gander at the head and the female bringing up the rear. In no time they are back at their ever - demanding task of feeding. The danger has passed. We most often see geese in their familiar V formation when they are migrating in the spring and fall. High in the air, their faraway calling can usu- ally be heard and it alwaysinthefieldstothenorth. Geese in gen- eral are vegetarians and so seek the rnoro oy raw stoutemurgn CANADA GEESE —It won't be long before some of the geese we see about our gives me a thrill to see and hear green rye fields, the manicured golf fields locally will start to nest. The vast majority, though, will seek the wilder areas to them. But the V formation is not always their hallmark for courses and even large lawns to satisfy the north to bring forth their young. when moving from place to their appetites. I remember my first nest of a Canada a fluffy gray down that she had plucked return again. A more delightful coloring place locally they can be found in almost goose years ago whey. I was exploring from her body. No wonder nature allows of downy young would be hard to find. any grouping from lines of geese to clus- the site of the now county cranberry bog geese to start laying eggs so early in the spring, for with that down protecting Dressed in their shades of yellow and brown and black these bits of fluff are ters of all sizes and shapes. One of the great sights is to see a flock in Riverhead. This area lies southeast them the raw winds of April are ready to move on. of geese landing into the wind. There'sthecountybuildingsandwassavedbyyshunned. Four to 10 creamy -white eggs Once the coast is cleared by the ever- something majestic about these honkers the efforts of the are laid that take alert parents, the young are led off where as the flock sets its wings and glides Riverhead Garden Club, who got together with One of the between 28 and 30 daysgreat they immediately adapt to their new down. You almost hold your breath until to hatch. During that water home. At first the adults find small they have all settled and started to feed. the late Dr. Robert time the female does allsightsisaflock waterborne seeds and vegetation for There are always a few of the oldest and Bushman Murphy and the incubating while the them to pick up but then their energies wisest ganders on duty whose job it is to myself in an all -out of geese landing gander stays nearby, and enthusiasm for living direct them to keep an eye out for any danger that effort to educate the ready to ward off any public as to the signifi-Theintothewind. their own spoils of food. From then on, it's busy, busy, busy, but might show up. All through this vigil the it ispossiblepredator. always within guards never eat and only when they cance of the area. We only time she leaves the the overseeing eyes and voices of the have been relieved from their post that traveled throughout the nest is for a brief period of feeding, and parents. they start feeding. county giving slide programs showing before she goes the priceless eggs are The gander is a fierce protector of Geese in numbers are a regular oc- that wondrous boggy area. It had long covered with down for warmth and cam- both nest and young and will discourage currence now here on the North Fork. since been a functioning cranberry bog ouflage for protection. any predator who is looking for a free Years before our geese started to show and at that time was still open and semi- It must have been 40 years The young break through their shell meal. Skunks and raccoons are the main up here, they were well established in productive. ago when I first became acquainted withfirst like all chicks with a specially adapted tip on the bill that falls off once the land predators of nest robbing, with snapping turtles being the worst predator the South Shore fields. Today both forks have their share of Canada geese. While the orchids, eca and pitcher plants that grow in that fascinating area. chick is out. All hatch out at approx- when the geese are in the water. most enjoy seeing them, others, like imately the same time and once dried off Whether on land or in the water their golfers, wish they would land in other Nest Well Hidden and fluffy soon leave the nest, never to best defense is the protection afforded places besides their golf course. The nest was on a large hummock of grass and was so well camouflaged by 90. * the female, who lay stretched out to hide her presence, that I was startled as she jumped off, flapping her wings and call- ing to distract me away from the nest. The nest was a work of art in the sense that her clutch of eggs was covered with Automatic Scheduling FUEL OIL C.O.D. PRICING PREMIUM DIESEL FUEL KEROSENE 298 -5146 75 Years Ago Jan. 23, 1920 New School for Southold: By a vote of 138 for to 130 against, the proposition to build a new school at Southold at an estimated cost of $65,000 was carried at a special school meeting last week. The school will have accommodations and equipment for courses in agriculture and home economics, a large auditorium and gymnasium. East Marion News: Thieves entered the cellar of Charles Fenton recently and stole canned fruit and a large quantity of wine which had been kept for medicinal purpos- es. Mr. and Mrs. Fenton are spending the winter in Green - port. Considerable thieving has been going on in East Mari- on the past year. When these thieves are caught they will get their just reward. Powerful X -Ray at ELIH: The Eastern Long Island Hospital has now installed the most powerful X -ray machine east of Jamaica. The apparatus is to be operated by Dr. John Stokes of Southold, and is of the very latest type manufactured by the Wapper Electric Co. of New York. 50 Years Ago Jan. 26, 1945 Deer Gets Sanctuary: Greenport now has a fine, big, healthy, young deer in its bird and animal sanctuary in the woods along Moore's Lane. The deer was rescued by the crew of the U.S. Navy tug Sagwan off Long Beach Light on Tuesday afternoon. The animal had evidently gone adrift from the mainland of Shelter Island on a large cake of ice. The ice floe had broken up and the deer, almost drowned, was feebly swimming among the large chunks of ice when sighted by the crew of the tug. The exhausted animal was taken aboard the tug without difficulty. Regaining its strength in the warm cabin, it gave the crew and the members of the Greenport Police Depart- ment quite a tussle before it could be placed in a truck and taken to the municipal sanctuary. 25 Years Ago Jan. 23, 1970 Islanders Stranded: The Shelter Island - Greenport Ferry Company had to call on the Coast Guard Wednesday morning to bring in an ice breaker when 10- to 12 -inch ice, layer on layer," as Elliott Dickerson expressed it, jammed the harbor and only one boat made the trip across from Shelter Island to Greenport before further transportation was made impossible by the ice. It's a good many years since we've had to call in the Coast Guard," Mr. Dickerson said. "Usually our own boats can break through the crust."