The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutFebruary 13, 2003 - Case of the famed forager The Suffolk Times • February 13, 2003 ase o e ame 1 THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE fUri t0 f01- low a gull,our common herring gull, on its quest for survival during these O�� winter months.Like all wildlife,the most important thing is food,without which there's no life.Food for the gulls is particularly difficult to come by when our bays and creeks are frozen over and that food supply is cut off.Although the gull is well insu- "�y�`�"�� ^ - lated against the cold,it still needs '� ` that food intake s�� ,� � � f�n$"''.✓�. ��`� � ��'e" �'�`i�k��k�y v+� �ti�� r to keep its body �� y�� ,��y��;�' �� , .. �� ,� �� ,�✓� F�C�$ warm. �f� y�� E�, r� ��t s��f"�c r q��*'E,/��ii , _�.�. � � �y„s ?�s� � �_� y It s almost ,�r: � � �� , O l t i There are j F�s�� y*�"��` "�' /�,�/�'c'' impossible to i i many species of �� go to any of NAruRE ulls 43 in the � � � �� y �-��"�� g > � � y , ��;��;.�h �5 �� our creeks � by Paul world,but the � ; ', "z �� f�,�3�� bays or the Stoutenburgh one we will fol- f �1 : ,k�r ' �,w�r � ,� �,,,�� z s Sound without r t N f � h�� low today is the � �� _� X , �y, ; ��p-�' : seeing the gray-and-white a,��~�`�3-� ; ` `,,b � ��/4� ,y y� �`��"�� common , � �� herring gull that we see along our � ��-. �'��; s�� , �, , herring gull. beaches and sitting on the roofs of � N "� ��F = During these the landfill buildings,etc. ,.'' � cold spells When you look at a group of gulls, ��; , �=-, we've been you'll notice that there are some ' � ' ,, ,,.; =��s havin , food Is brown and some artl brown as well g P Y � � hard to come as the normal gray-and-white ones. ` `'��` " by but some- The brown-colored ones are the how the gulls young gulls,l to 4 years old,that have figured have not yet lost their juvenile feath- � out a wa to ers.This camouflage brown color �fl�> survive. y helps protect the young gulls from predators during those early years ;'=:;; Times/Review when they are most vulnerable. E"�£ Pnoco by Few people realize that our gulls �f z, Paul Stoutenburgh spend the nighttime resting on the � � �� ' ` ' water in the lee of some sheltered " �°, �, � land.On the water they are free from '� predators.If they should stay too ; ; � �� ;.1:. � �`>3?"�:•, Yr'....F:$ ...��i..6u.s"si/.m.�.�,A long on the sand bar or beach as the sun goes down,that inquisitive,ever- on-the-lookout-for-a-meal oppor- tunist,Mr.Fox,will soon convert them into a meal.He,too,feels the is with the gull;the one ment come to light.Some wise o hun er an s of winter.And so we that patrols the beach first g P g gull remembers a flat where they can see�he ulls as darkness takes over, gets the best pickings at g dig clams in the shallow water.Yes, flying toward the bay,where they will what came ashore during they can actually dig clams by pump- slee on the water until dawn.B the night.For others the P Y ing their feet up and down in the that time their stomachs are rowlin sun is just rising as they g g sand and eventually exposing the for food and the are u and out on take off to go back to y p where the had ood luck clams.Once the clam is exposed,the patrol before sunrise. y g next big job is to get into the tightly As we say about the robin—"The the day before. closed shell. early bird catches the worm"—so it As the day grows brighter,other ways of securing morning nourish ( Anything Ovcr eons of time,the gull has that�S a�1V@ learned that he can carry his clam or or dead is scallop into the air,then let it go 'f81P galile — crashing down on the beach. If the you nar�e it� beach is stony enough,the clam will However,this robbing of food can break open.If it's not a hard beach the �'ll��S WI�� work in the opposite way.When the but soft sand,the gull knows enougi� eat it. gull has some food in its mouth,its to go to the nearest blacktop road c�r big brother,the black-backed gull, hard-surfaced roof to drop the clai». will often dive down and rob the her- There it will surely break open and ring gull of its precious catch.The reveal the life-giving food that's so black-backed gull was a rare visitor important,especially during these lmportant for life,is taken care of here 60 years ago.It has gradually winter months. (I've actually had calls through this unique ability. moved in from the north and now we from readers who have a fairly flat I have to put a personal note in find it ruling our shores and becom- roof and they find this dropping of here.Years ago when we were camp- ing king of the airways. clams by the gulls on their roof quite ing over at Hither Hills campground When spring comes,gulls,like a nuisance.) in Montauk we had a gull encounter other survivors of the winter,look for Even the little slipper shell or boat worth telling about.We had just a mate and start their courting rituals. shell that washes ashore provides arrived and everyone was hungry.I Our herring gulls build their nests on nourishment for a hungry gull. thought that while the family was set- islands along the south shore and on Anything that's alive or dead is fair ting up camp,I'd start the charcoal Plum,Fishers and Gardiners islands. game,including scallops,mussels, grill and put the hamburgers on to 'I'hey are so numerous on Gardiners whelks,crabs—you name it,they'll cook.Well,you probably can guess Island they actually nest right on the eat it.Often they'll drop their clam or what happened,and you're right.Mr. airstrip,causing quite a problem for � scallop and it will not break open.So Seagull swooped down and picked up planes landing and taking off.As yet I down they go and pick it up and try my charcoal-grilled hamburger right they have never nested on Robins again.Two,three,even four or more off the hot grill.And that's not all. Island. times the 'll keep at it until eventual- Leaving your campsite without first I spoke about how in the winter- ly the clam breaks open making sure every bit of food is put time a gull will dive and rob a morsel and the hard-to-get-at away can only lead to real gull trou- from a diving duck;in warmer times morsel is'eaten. ble.It's surprising how smart some when the gulls are nesting and the It's the winter that is so gulls are.Their bills can get into young have hatched,they sometimes hard for the gulls.They almost any edible leftover,no matter become killers of their own kind and drift back and forth over how well wrapped,so campers will actually snatch up unguarded areas they've never beware. nestlings.This robbing of nests is par- patrolled before,looking One thing that gulls have worked ticularly true of the black-backed for scraps that someone out through the ages is robbing other gull.Where you have high concentra- might have thrown out.I birds of t eir oo .We see ducks in tions of gulls and other birds like know people who take old our creeks diving and coming up with terns,skimmers and plovers,they all bread to feed the gulls something in their bills.Well,the gull become fair game for the ever-hun- every day.You'll often see them at has learned that what the duck has gry gulls.They'll rob many a nest of public places like the Town Beach in brought up is pretty good eating,so eggs or young when the parents are Southold and behind the stores in he paddles around to where he fig- away. downtown Riverhead along the river. .ures the duck will come up and when In all,the gulls are beautiful birds The gulls have caught on to the rou- it pops to the surface the gull imme- to watch.We marvel at their ability to tine and are there waiting to be fed. diately snatches the morsel out of its survive through the cold of winter It doesn't matter about the food's bill.Another way of surviving.You and look forward every year to the shape or condition or what it is,as can see this almost everywhere,this time when the farmer plows his fields long as it's edible.There are even robbing of food from the less fortu- and the gulls follow behind to pick people who feed the gulls in their nate. up exposed grubs and worms.A gull's own back yard.Because of winter's day is a busy one that revolves cold,the gull needs more food than around the most important activity of normal to keep its body warm. all:finding food. Gulls have the ability,like many seabirds,to survive on saltwater or freshwater.They have special equip- ment that separates the salt out of the water,sort of a desalinization lant.And so water,which is so