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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMarch 10, 2005 - An end-of-winter guest listOfficial Newspaper of Southold Town A Tate- winter guest list Focus on Nature By Paul Stoutenburgh The last day of February 2005, and snow is on its way again. This has been one of those winters the ground has been covered with snow for weeks on end, and we, like many of you, just have to get out of the house for a while. When we go out, whether for shopping or just to take a ride, we usually make a list of what we see. Our list today started with a turkey vulture that flew over our pasture. We usually associate turkey vultures with the warmer part of the south. We don't get these masters of the airways as often as Connecticut and Jersey do, yet were starting to see more and more of them each year. They are a bird you can spend hours just watching as they glide from one thermal to another. Seldom do you see them moving their wings. r Many birds enhance their plumage during courtship. Here we see the red - breasted merganser in its courtship attire. From now until nesting time there will be challenges over the drab - colored females. Times /Review photo by Paul Stoutenburgh From the largest, the turkey vulture, whose wingspan is over four feet, we added the small brown creeper to our list. It is about the size of a chickadee. It's a little brown bird with a long, pointed bill it uses to probe in and around the bark of trees for dormant insects and eggs that sustain it through the lean months of winter. It has the habit of flying to the base of a tree and then working its way up round the tree, probing until it gets up to the heavy branches, and then it drops down to the base of another tree and starts working its way up, each time probing and probing in hopes of finding something under the bark of the old trees. The only place I have seen them nesting is at Connetquot State Park Preserve, which is, by the way, one of the great parks. The Connetquot River drains through it. There's Tots to see there, including the fish hatchery and the old mill, the famous clubhouse, plus miles of trails that take you through some of nature's best woodlands, freshwater bogs and ponds. Well continue our roadside adventure and head for Greenport, where I spent 20 years teaching. I have many fond memories of the school and the village and the people of Greenport. We always swing down to Preston's and have to look out over the bay. There were a few mergansers diving but nothing more and so we headed out toward Orient Beach State Park. To me this park is one of the great natural wonders of Long Island, with its miles and miles of beaches and its unique maritime cedar forest. It has a nice nature trail dedicated to that great naturalist Roy Latham, who used the area for study throughout his lifetime. On the way to the state park we often take Narrow River Road, which starts in the village and winds its way to Hallocks Bay, where you might see a short -eared owl or marsh hawk or rough - legged hawk working the marsh and fields that provide good hunting ground for these winter visitors. We stopped at the parking area overlooking The Suffolk Times I A late - winter guest list Hallocks Bay, where we saw literally hundreds of Canada geese. Being vegetarians, they were taking advantage of the low tide to dine on sea lettuce, the paper -thin green algae we find in all our creeks. From there we drove a short distance to the town -owned ramp a little way to the north. Our presence scared up 100 -150 red - breasted mergansers. Most were males in their courting attire; some were even going through the head - bobbing courtship ritual. As they flew out of the creek and headed for the open waters of the bay I couldn't remember ever seeing so many of these mergansers in such a small area. Groups of 10 and 20 would go out and then another 10 to 15 would take to the air. It was a beautiful sight to see. Mingled amongst them were a few buffleheads. This is the little butterball" duck we see in small flocks diving in our creeks. Then, as we drove along, we saw a flock of binds far off in a tree. Even with my binoculars, I couldn't identify them, so I got my scope out and focused on them. Just what I thought they were — a flock of 50 or more red - winged blackbirds. Now there's a hopeful sign of spring coming. Farther to the north was a great blue heron looking for the slightest movement in the cold water below. These are hard times for those who should have gone south months ago. It brought back memories of years ago when I saw something like this happening. I took a series of pictures of a great blue looking very weak. It was all crouched down in a most unusual position. It was then I realized it must be starved. I went back the next day and, sure enough, by this time it had sunk to a squatted position. How sad. It was doomed. I was back the next day. This time it lay prostrate on the ice. It had given up. Winter had taken its toll. We drove into the park on the long causeway that looks out over Gardiners Bay. It was hard to see what was along the waters edge because there were piles of sand all along the roadsides. It's a shame there is no place to pull off and look around. As we entered the park we saw the old osprey nest that I remembered had been taken over years ago by a great homed owl. Owls don't build their own nests; they take over nests of some other bird — in this case an osprey's nest. We checked it over closely but there was no great homed owl this year. Out at the parking lot there were people walking around, some having a bite to eat in their car, and in one car the person was reading. Had he escaped cabin fever at home? By the way, remember that the state parks at both Montauk and Orient have warm year -round facilities for your comfort. They are warm, clean and well kept. I can vouch for that. On our way back out of the park we saw a few mergansers, a common loon, and goldeneyes. Oh, what a beautiful bird that is. It has a big white patch on its cheek. It's a true diver and a winter duck. That and the oldsquaws and a big flock of surf scoters are all winter ducks that spend their coldest days of winter here before returning north to breed. We drove slowly on our way out and were delighted to see 10 or so tumstones, those international shorebirds that might turn up almost anywhere. With them were four or five sanderlings. How these shorebirds make it through winter's cold is hard to imagine. At low tide they probe the brown rockweed and other algae on the rock jetties. They glean little bits of nourishment that somehow sustains them through the winter. Soon the snows will be gone and the ice will have melted. Then something sets off that hidden power to mate. Warmer temperatures, longer days and other forces all unite to make this period a triumphant event for all wildlife. Plumages will change for this special event. Feathers that have been dormant through the cold of winter come alive and bristle. Courtship antics are all the rage. Each ball of energy will try to outdo the competition. Page 2 of 3 http: / /www2.timesreview.com/ST /community /312975481927372.php 311117605 The Suffolk Times ( A late - winter guest list Then, after weeks and even months of elaborate displays of all sorts, something dicks and individuals pair off. Whether its the robin in your back yard or the little bufflehead duck that's been in your creek all winter, they all find their own mate. And now the most important act of their lives begins: bringing forth the newborn, the quest that will continue to make sure there are always new generations coming forth to carry on the species. And so we have come to the end of our list. We were content to look in on some of winter's visitors. Soon they will be gone. Another chapter will start far to the north. Some will choose the bare Arctic tundra to raise their family; others will choose the great forests and lakes of Canada. It's all part of that wonderful world we call nature. 2005 Times - Review Newspapers Page 3 of 3 http : //W'-vW'-).timeftview.com/ST /community /312975481927372.php 3/11/2005 The Suffolk Times • March 10, 2005 e nd -of- winter guest list DiE LAST DAY of February 2005, and snow is on its way again. This has been one of those winters the ground has been covered with snow for weeks on end, and we, like many of you, just have to get out of the house for a while. When we go out, whether for shopping or just to take a ride, we usu- ally make a list of what we see. Our list today started with a turkeyFOCUSvulturethatflew ON over our pasture. We usually NATURE associate turkey vultures with the by Paul warmer part of Stoutenbur h the south. We g don't get these masters of the airways as often as Connecticut and Jersey do, yet we're starting to see more and more of them each year. They are a bird you can spend hours just watching as they glide from one thermal to another. Seldom do you see them moving their wings. From the largest, the turkey vulture, whose wingspan is over four feet, we added the small brown creeper to our list. It is about the size of a chickadee. It's a little brown bird with a long, pointed bill it uses to probe in and around the bark of trees for dormant Times /Review photo by Paul Stoutenburgh Many birds enhance their plumage during courtship. Here we see the red - breasted merganser in its courtship attire. From now until nesting time there will be challenges over the drab - colored females. insects and eggs that sustain it through the lean months of winter. It has the habit of flying to the base of a tree and then working its way up round the tree, probing until it gets up to the heavy branches, and then it drops down to the base of another tree and starts working its way up, each time probing and probing in hopes of finding some - thing under the bark of the old trees. the only place 1 nave seen tnem nesting is at Connetquot State Park Preserve, which is, by the way, one of the great parks. The Connetquot River drains through it. There's lots to see there, including the fish hatchery and the old mill, the famous clubhouse, plul miles of trails that take you through some of nature's best woodlands, fresh water boss and uonds. We'll continue our roadside adven- ture and head for Greenport, where I spent 20 years teaching. I have many fond memories of the school and the village and the people of Greenport. We always swing down to Preston's and have to look out over the bay. There were a few mergansers diving but nothing more and so we headed out toward Orient Beach State Park. To me this park is one of the great natural wonders of Long Island, with its miles and miles of beaches and its unique maritime cedar forest. It has a nice nature trail dedicated to that great naturalist Roy Latham, who used the area for study throughout his lifetime. On the way to the state park we often take Narrow River Road, which starts in the village and winds its way to Hanocks Bay, where you might see a short-eared owl or marsh hawk or rough - legged hawk working the marsh and fields that provide good hunting ground for these winter visitors. We stopped at the parking area overlook- ing Hallocks Bay, where we saw liter- ally hundreds of Canada geese. Being vegetarians, they were taking advan- tage of the low tide to dine on sea lettuce, the paper -thin green algae we find in all our creeks. From there we drove a short dis- tance to the town -owned ramp a little way to the north. Our presence scared up 100 -150 red - breasted mergansers. Most were males in their courting at- tire; some were even going through the head - bobbing courtship ritual. As they flew out of the creek and headed for the open waters of the bay I couldn't remember ever seeing so many of these mergansers in such a small area. Groups of 10 and 20 would go out and then another 10 to 15 woul take to the air. It was a beautiful sight to see. Mingled amongst them were a few buffleheads. This is the little "but - terball" duck we see in small flocks divine in our creeks. l'hen, as we drove along, we saw a flock of birds far off in a tree. Even with my binoculars, I couldn't iden- tify them, so I got my scope out and focused on them. Just what I thought they were — a flock of 50 or more red - winged blackbirds. Now there's a hope- ful sign of spring coming. Farther to the north was a great blue heron looking for the slightest movement in the cold water below. These are hard times for those who should have gone south months ago. It brought back memories of years ago when I saw something like this hap- pening. I took a series of pictures of a great blue looking very weak. It was all crouched down in a most unusual posi- tion. It was then I realized it must be starved. I went back the next day and, sure enough, by this time it had sunk to a squatted position. How sad. It was doomed. I was back the next day. This time it lay prostrate on the ice. It had given up. Winter had taken its toll. We drove into the park on the long causeway that looks out over Gardin- ers Bay. It was hard to see what was along the water's edge because there were piles of sand all along the road- sides. It's a shame there is no place to pull off and look around. As we entered the park we saw the old os- prey nest that I remembered had been taken over years ago by a great horned owl. Owls don't build their own nests; they take over nests of some other bird in this case an osprey's nest. We checked it over closely, but there was no great horned owl this year. Out at the parking lot there were people walking around, some having a bite to eat in their car, and in one car the person was reading. Had he escaped cabin fever at home? By the way, remember that the state parks at both Montauk and Orient have warm year -round facilities for your comfort. They are warm, clean and well kept. I can vouch for that. On our way back out of the park we saw a few mergansers, a common loon. and goldeneyes. Oh, what a beautiful bird that is. It has a big white patch on its cheek. It's a true diver and a winter duck. That and the oldsquaws and a big flock of surf scoters are all winter ducks that spend their coldest days of winter here before returning north to We drove slowly on our way out and were delighted to see 10 or so turn- stones, those international shorebirds that might turn up almost anywhere. With them were four or five sander - lings. How these shorebirds make it through winter's cold is hard to imag- ine. At low tide -they probe the brown rockweed and. other algae on the rock jetties.They glean little bits of nour- ishment that somehow sustains them through the Soon the To me, snows will be Orient Beach gone and the ice State Park will have melted. Then something is one of the sets off that hid- great natural den power to Wonders ofmate. Warmer temperatures, Long island. longer days and other forces all unite to make this period a triumphant event for all wildlife. Plumages will change for this special event. Feathers that have been dormant through the cold of winter come alive and bristle. Courtship antics are all the rage. Each ball of energy will try to outdo the Then, after weeks and even months of elaborate displays of all sorts, some- thing clicks and individuals pair off. Whether it's the robin in your back yard or the little bufflehead duck that's been in your creek all winter, they all find their own mate. And now the most important act of their lives begins: bringing forth the newborn, the quest that will continue to make sure there are always new generations coming forth to carry on the species. And so we have come to the end of our list. We were content to look in on some of winter's visitors. Soon they will be gone. Another chapter will start far to the north. Some will choose the bare Arctic tundra to raise their family; others will choose the great forests and lakes of Canada. It's all part of that wonderful world we call nature.