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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJanuary 06, 2005 - Focusing on two favoritesOfficial Newspaper of Southold Town Focusing on two favorites Focus on Nature By Paul Stoutenburgh Each month I receive a list of all the birds seen by the experts in the field_ This comes through Hugh McGuinness, who collects and tabulates these sightings on both the North and South forks_ It' s a fascinating list, for there are always special sightings that make you stop and wonder. A recent list had two birds that brought back fond memories for both of us. One in particular that caught my eye was a yellow - headed blackbird_ How do you like its scientific name, Zanthocephalus zanfhocephalus? It's a rare visitor to our area according to John Bulrs book "Birds of New York State." Checking with Hugh on any other sightings seen in our area, I discovered there have been two others he knows of. More interesting than that, I think, is that one of the sightings in the past was by — you guessed it — Roy Latham when he reported seeing one back in 1943. That man never ceases to amaze me_ Imagine seeing a blackbird with a brilliant yellow head and shoulders in your back yard_ Sony to say, you won't see it here except on a rareoccasion like the recent sighting in Noyac. Times/Review photos by Paul Stoutenburgh The reason the recent sighting of a yellow- headed blackbird meant so much to me is that it was a new bird to add to my life list when we first saw it in Colorado, and it was a most memorable day for us, as we saw not just one yellow - headed blackbird, but a whole tree literally laden dawn with these brilliant - yellow- headed birds. It was tike seeing a Midwestern Christmas tree with yellow balls on every limb and twig_ We had just finished visiting a college our son attended and were heading north out of Colorado when we came across a marsh that was bubbling over with these striking yellow- headed blackbirds. Seeing them up dose through our binoculars realty brought out their true color and beauty. This gaudy blackbird is a dose relative of our common red - winged blackbird, the one that flashes its red epaulets in the early springtime and gives out a raspy call telling all around that he's looking for a mate and this area is where he plans to stay. The yellow- headed blackbird is about the size of a small robin_ Its favorite nesting sites are freshwater marshes throughout theWest Nest building, as with many birds, is left to the female and, in the case of the yellow- headed blackbird, is always above standing water. Building over water deters predators fake raccoons, foxes and opossums and any other roving predators looking for an easy meal. The female weaves her cup- shaped nest by working soggy grasses into the standing reeds and then, as it dries out, it makes a strong durable nest in which to raise her family. The single yellow- headed blackbird reported on Dec_ 4 to Hugh McGuinness was seen in the trees bordering a marsh at the Morton Wildlife Refuge in Noyac. If you haven't been there, it's a place worth exploring. If you do stop in, remember to have some sunflower seeds along, as you'll be mobbed by friendly chickadees, titmice and nuthatches that will fly to your hand asking for seeds. Not only does this area have its interesting bird population, but also there are miles and miles of untouched `Robinson Crusoe' beaches to hike on. Besides the yellow- headed blackbird on the list, there was another bird that brought back memories to us, and that was the boat-tailed gradde. This fisting of the grackle The Suffolk Times I Focusing on two favorites Page 2 of 2 took us back to a camping trip with our kids to Cape Hatteras National Seashore many years ago, when: we had many wonderful days of exploring. We climbed the great sand dunes and photographed the skeletal remains of old shipwrecks that had fallen prey to the cape's unpredictable weather and treacherous onshore shoals. We would soon find Hatteras to be a wild and windy place. It was the last day of our stay at Cape Hatteras, and it was a wild one. We had gone on a long walk, doing the usual beach combing, photographing, and in general having a good leisurely time, each following his or her own special interest- As our morning progressed, the wind started to blow with ever - increasing force, so much so 1 said, We'd better head back to our campsite." With a howling wind and flying sand at our backs, we hurriedly retraced our tracks to home base — but where was our tent? It had been blown down and sand had taken over what had been a rather comfortable campsite. A short distance away, a new camper was desperately trying to set up his tent He had driven in as the stakes around the bottom and was now trying to raise the center pole of this Arabian - looking tent, but the wind would have no part of it- It blew and covered everything with sand white, in between howling gusts, the tent would rise and fall. The poor camper could do nothing but watch his center tent pole poke holes in the top of the tent For 15 minutes he struggled to beat the cussed wind, but it was no use. Finally, in utter disgust, he threw down everything and got in his car, leaving his battered tent to the fury of the wind. We were not much better off. Looking around our campsite, we all agreed it was time to move. We'd had our good days at Hatteras and now welcomed the warmth and quiet of the Chidkahominy River State Park, inland, away from the winds of Hatteras. But I'm getting sidetracked, so Ws get back to the boat - tailed gracile that was on Hugh's list. The first night at Hatteras we all went to bed early. It was easy, for we were lulled to sleep by the ever - present surf nearby. Yet those of you who have tented on bare ground know that you occasionally wake up through the night to shift to a less backbreaking position. It was during one of those early - morning mpositionings that I heard a loud 'jeeb, jeeb, jeeb, jeeb' right outside our tent I couldn't believe the bud, mysterious calls didn't wake Barbara and the kids. I gently slid out of my sleeping bag and peeked out to see what was making all the ruckus. It was a group of boat-taled grackles, evidently checking over our campsite for any leftovers. Their calls must have finally wakened Barbara, for she was soon up and at my side, peeking out to see what was going on. We were so dose to the noisy graddes we could see them yellow eyes. They're about the size and color of our common grackle, but what makes them so different is that extra -long tail, giving them their name "boat - tailed," and, of course, their distinctive raucous call. For the fun of it later I looked up boat - tailed grackles in Bin's record book and found that they have been relatively rare visitors here until recently. Today they're much more common, particularly on the western part of tong Island, around Jamaica Bay. It's a bird of the saltwater edge, so you won't find them inland. Their diet can range from small fish to small snakes, eggs and young of birds and various grains from the farmer's field; they are true opportunists. Recent reports tell that they are not only seen more often in the Jamaica Bay area but have started to nest there as well. So, like many other birds that have moved up from the South, we may some day find these noisy. long- tailed grackles along our shores. It will be interesting to see how the future treats the boat - tailed grackle. 2005 Times - Review Newspapers http:// www2. timesreview. com /ST/Columns/283577757519936.php 1/10/2005 The Suffolk Times • January 6, 2005 Focusing FOI two favorites PW W Tirnes /Review pholos by Paul Stoutenhurgh The boat - tailed grackle (left) is a Southern bird slowly moving up the coast and has already started nesting on the western part of Long Island. Right: Imagine seeing a blackbird with a brilliant yellow head and shoulders in your back vard. Sorry to say, you won't see it here except on a rare occasion like the recent sighting in Noyac. EACH MONTH I RECEIVE a list of all the birds seen by the experts in the field. This comes through Hugh McGuinness, who collects and tabu- lates these sightings on both the Nort and South forks. It's a fascinating list, for there are always special sightings that make you stop and wonder. A recent list had two birds that brought back fond mem< ries for both of Focus ON NATURE by Paul Stoutenburgh US. One in particu- lar that caught my eye was a yel- low- headed blackbird. How do you like its scientific name, Zanthocephalus zanthocephalus? It's a rare visitor to our area according to John Bull's book "Birds of New York State." Checking with Hugh on any other sightings seen in our area, I dis- covered there have been two others he knows of. More interesting than that, I think, is that one of the sight- ings in the past was by — you guessed it — Roy Latham, when he reported seeing one back in 1943. That man never ceases to amaze me. The reason the recent sighting of a yellow- headed blackbird meant so much to me is that it was a new bird to add to my life list when we first saw it in Colorado, and it was a most memorable day for us, as we saw not iust one vellow- headed blackbird, but a whole tree literally laden down with these brilliant- yellow- headed birds. It was like seeing a Midwestern Christmas tree with yellow balls on every limb and twig. We had just fin- ished visiting a college our son attend- ed and were heading north out of Colorado when we came across a marsh that was bubbling over with these striking yellow- headed black- birds. Seeing them up close through our binoculars really brought out their true color and beauty. This gaudy blackbird is a close rela- tive of our common red - winged blackbird; the one that flashes its red e aulets in the early springtime and gives out a raspy ca te. ling all around that he's looking for a mate and this area is where he plans to stay. The yellow- headed blackbird is about the size of a small robin. Its favorite nesting sites are freshwater marshes throughout the West. Nest building, as with many birds, is left to the female and, in the case of the yel- low- headed blackbird, is always above standing water. Building over water deters predators like raccoons, foxes and opossums and any other roving predators looking for an easy meal. The female weaves her cup- shaped nest by working soggy grasses into the standing reeds and then, as it dries out, it makes a strong durable nest in which to raise her family. The single yellow - headed blackbird reported on Dec. 4 to Hugh McGuinness was seen in the trees bor- dering a marsh at the Morton Wildlife Refuge in Noyac. If you haven't been there, it's a place worth exploring. If you do stop in, remember to have some sunflower seeds along, as you'll be mobbed by friendly chickadees, tit- mice and nuthatches that will fly to your hand asking for seeds. Not only does this area have its interesting bird popuiatnon, out also there are miles and miles of untouched "Robinson Crusoe" beaches to hike on. Besides the yellow- headed black- bird on the list, there was another bird that brought back memories to us, and that was the boat - tailed grackle. This listing of the grackle took us back to a camping trip with our kids to Cape Hatteras National Seashore many years ago, where we had many won- derful days of exploring. We climbed the great sand dunes and pho- tographed the skeletal remains of old shipwrecks that had fallen prey to the cape's unpredictable weather and treacherous offshore shoals. We would soon find Hatteras to be a wild and windy place. It was the last day of our stay at Cape Hatteras, and it was a wild one. We had gone on a long walk, doing the usual beach combing, pho- tographing, and in general having a good leisurely time, each following his or her own special interest. As our morning pro- gressed, the wind started to blow with ever - increasing force, so much so I said, "We'd better head back to our campsite." With a howling wind and flying sand at our backs, we hurriedly retraced our tracks to home base — but where was our tent? It had been blown down and sand had taken over what had been a rather comfortable campsite. A short distance away, a new camper was desperately trying to set up his tent. He had driven in all the stakes around the bottom and was now trying to raise the center pole of this Arabian- looking tent, but the wind would have no part of it. It blew and covered everything with sand while, in between howling gusts, the tent would rise and fall. The poor camper could do nothing but watch his center tent pole poke holes in the top of the tent. For 15 minutes he struggled to beat the cussed wind, but it was no use. Finally, in utter disgust, he threw down everything and got in his car, leaving his battered tent to the fury of the wind. We were not much better oft Looking around our campsite, we all agreed it was time to move. We'd had our good days at Hatteras and now welcomed the warmth and quiet of the Chickahominy River State Park, inland, away from the winds of Hatteras. But I'm getting sidetracked, so let's get back to the boat - tailed grackle that was on Hugh's list. The first night at Hatteras we all went to bed early. It was easy, for we were lulled to sleep by the ever -pre- sent surf nearby. Yet those of you who have tented on bare ground know tha you occasionally wake up through the night to shift to a less backbreaking position. It was during one of those early- morning repositionings that I heard a loud "jeeb, jeeb, jeeb, jeeb" right outside our tent. I couldn't believe the loud, mysteri- ous calls didn't wake Barbara and the kids. I gently slid out of my sleeping bag and peeked out to see what was making all the ruckus. It was a group of boat - tailed grackles, evi- dently checking over our campsite for any leftovers. Their calls must have finally wakened Barbara, for she was soon up and at my side, peeking out to se w at was going on. We were so close to the noisy grackles we could see their yellow eyes. They're about the size and color of our common grackle, but what makes them so different is that extra -long tail, giving them their name "boat - tailed," and, of course, their distinctive raucous call. For the fun of it later I looked up boat - tailed grackles in Bull's record book and found that they have been relatively rare visitors here until recently. Today they're much more common, particularly on the western part of Long Island, around Jamaica Bay. It's a bird of the saltwater edge, so you won't find them inland. Their diet can range from small fish to small snakes, eggs and young of birds and various grains from the farmer's field; they are true opportunists. Recent reports tell that they are not only seen more often in the Jamaica Bay area but have started to nest there as well. So, like many other birds that have moved up from the South, we may some day find these noisy, long- tailed grackles along our shores. It will be interest- ing to see how the future treats the boat- tailed grackle. I heard a loud jeeb, jeeb, jeeb, jeeb' right outside our tent.