HomeMy WebLinkAboutJuly 17, 2003 - 'Hello, Paul_' Readers report in The Suffolk Times • July 17, 2003
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I WONDER HOW MANY Of y011 118V0 �" '
seen the movie"Dances with
Wolves"? It was about a lone soldier b�� ��
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who chose to live in the frontier and ;
made friends with wolves,eventually � n ' \ ��; �:,� '
playing with them.Well,I wasn't danc- ' z ,, ' ��
ing with wolves but I could almost s ���" �� ,�� ',:
`�`'
have danced with two little fawns that -,, , = � �- .
'
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were playing out on my lawn.They ' ' � �� -
were all by � ' � �
themselves.I
F�C V S never saw the ' ���` � �
ON mother once. �
1`IATURE �'ey were jump :�� � - �" ��;���
� � �
ing around like � � � �' ��
by Paul little kids,chas- �' "°'"`'` a r `" f; '�
,- .�^` '�'.
Stoutenbu h '" F
� ing each other, �<` �:� ; J � .F�`
sniffing the air � �� �� � '� �,��'s"'�Y
and just enjoying their newfound free y f ����'' � �P� � ,�.�,� q � ��
dom.They would stop and then look ; � � ��r . '�' 4� ' '� � �, ;
around.It was one of those rare sight � �` °�� -,� �, "'� � � � � '
of nature.They had no inhibitions. w` �� ' ' � �`' 3
Times/Review photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
They came almost to the patio,inquis Few of us ever get to see this beautiful wood frog,for it Iives among the tre�
itive,suspicious,bright-eyed,and tops. We hear its call at night but that's about all. It, Iike other frogs, has
dressed in their tan spotted coats. suction cups on its toes to better hold onto the Ilmbs as it moves around in
They're still around.We see them the trees.
occasionally as we go down our drive-
way.
nd now to some of the mail and ceptible to a skin disease called
phone calls I've received recently. mange,which I've heard eventually
Foxes seem to be around everywhere. does them in.Mange can be easily
The one call that was particularly spread to other foxes and even to
interestin�was the one about the fox dogs.That's what has me concerned,
that came into a yard where a man for the other day we saw a fox with
had been feeding birds.When you mange walking boldly down our dri-
feed birds,you get squirrels.The fox veway,paying little attention at all to
must have been hungry,for it came in us.It had no fur on its tail at all.I just
and took a squirrel right by the bird hope that it didn t spread it to other
feeder as the people watched.Gutsy foxes,which we have around,but per-
little things,those foxes. haps that's part of the game.That's
The downside is that foxes are sus- �'hy some years we see man foxes,
many raccoons an many rab its.
Then every once in a while they'll
drop off and we see very few.Things
go in cycles.So we just hope for the
best.
Another call came from my son, swallows put up quite a commotion,
who wondered if we had a picture of a diving and chirping all about,so much
wood frog.I said no,we didn't.He had so that the man didn't use his boat.He
found one in someone's well.The next called me to see what he should do.I
thing I knew we had it in our back use o noise accompanied by swoop- told him he should use his boat,as the
yard in a jar.IYs a handsome frog with 'ng over the owl.Although the owl Parents would be waiting to feed the
a black mask and big eyes.This is the S�'ivels his head in the direction of the young when he returned.He was
one that you hear singing singly in the S�'oops,he appears to be not overly afraid the babies would fall out of the
perturbed. nest while they were bouncing over
summertime in the bushes and trees, «
where it spends most of its time.These Since the aerial approach is obvi- the waves.Being a true big-hearted
frogs,like most,have suction cups on ously not working,one of the crows sailor,he left the boat at the dock and
their toes so that when they land on a moved to a second kind of attack.The asked me if I would later take a look.
limb they can hold fast.The next day crow lands on a limb just above the We did during the week.Everyone
we photographed it.We now have a °�'1�and cleverly utilizing his small �'�'as away and so we walked down on
wood frog picture in our collection of bird brain,he uses his sharp beak to the dock and there were the barn
what makes our East End so special. Peck off a small piece of bark that S�'allows and the babies hanging their
We had two calls from people in then falls directly onto the owl's head, heads over the edge of the nest.I had
Mattituck who have seen a peacock i �'ell,that ruffled the owl's feathers a to compliment the man because not
their back yards.We get this call bit! But he then regains his compo- only was he concerned about not
throughout the year.It seems pea- sure and continues to sit silently, harming the young by using his boat,
cocks can manage pretty well by "T�e third attack is direct assault. but when we were on his dock we
t emse ves.I know at night they roost aOt the o legi ng him a shaght down �'ere able to see that he had purposely
in trees.These have evidently escaped the top of his head.And th a�pthe °n let the salt hay grass in front of his
or been let go.Our callers wanted to move that accomplishes the crows house grow instead of bulkheading his
know what to do.They hate to have objective.The owl has finally had property.He had left the area so nat-
them caught by a dog or fox.I can't enough,and flies to another tree. ural that fiddler crabs were scurrying
really help them except to say,if you Remember this great horned owl about wh;le R sa ugosa roses�grew
don't want them in your yard,don't stands over two feet tall and is about beautiful 'ob.
put food out.On the other hand if as fierce looking as an ow1 can be. between the s y the houseaHe etwas a
you want to keep them around,feed Nevertheless,that crow went in and P odest lawn b
them cracked corn or bird seed. gave that owl a peck and off it flew, e�eY he Watler withoupdi�sPurb ng
They'll enjoy that. , live b t
Some weeks ago I wrote about ST�at must have been something to the marsh edge.It's good to see peo-
crows I had seen diving and calling ple trying to live with nature rather
and making a real racket over some- bui d ngthheir nestshn placeb�ha ba es tha�trying to control it,which in the
thing in our woods.This time it was a very inconvenient for a landowner or, lon run can never be done anyway.
fox in the pasture that brought out the as in this case,a boat owner.The man p is sort of thing happens in unusu-
crows.They were harassing it and let- lives in Mattituck on Deep Hole al laces.I can remember Ady
ting the world know that there was a Creek and has a beautiful big boat.q Schreiber had a barn swallow build at
predator in the a.rea.After I wrote pair of barn swallows decided to build his front door and he had a big sign:
that article I received a letter telling o their nest under the eave of the cabin �Do not use tpies ple are�on erned.
an exciting experience with crows and and brought forth their oun , the back."So
an owl in Mattituck.With permission the man went to use the boatgthe en People are making exceptions and it's
from the writer,I quote from her jour- nice to know the world is a better
nal. place because of it.
"The first part of this crow con-
frontation involves intimidation;the