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Home My WebLink AboutJune 26, 2003 - A walk on the beach, part 2 The Suffolk Times • June 26, 2003 v� a on e eac ar � y � � . _ .�_': :.� F � .;.: ,� ��, . ...�.. Y :\ �, 3� < O REMEMBER LAST WEEK We t00 you via tape �� . , recorder on a short trip in our boat to one of �'.: _ our favorite beaches.This week we'll continue Z.'; � „ ..; recording as we go along on our beach walk. :� `' Here comes Barbara back from a short walk �`' �° � While she was away I relaxed in one of the -.�� °": beach chairs.She's gathered a few treasures: ' ' 3 �, � �'_'� .,��: r F� �, somebody's old duck decoy and a piece of ,,� ' t; ��% driftwood and some sort '� �z�,� �� ,�� . ° � �� of flower in her hand.I ';�,,� � � � ��"� F'�Gjj$ see she has her pants legs � �� ' ��`� �. � .__� inside her socks as a pro- �c "��,.�, T ��`� ".e s ON � � ` ' �� g A A , �'-.. �'��.; tection against the pesky �' -�� ' ��x�' ��; ��"5 " � � �,. 3. ' NATU RE ticks that could be y „ x -F by Paui around in the grasses and �"` , ��,��-r��.�� ' � °�� ~ Stoutenbulgh bushes.She showed me � �" � ' her treasure flower,the �� '�� . � . low-flowering yellow = ,: plant that grows in sandy areas,Hudsonia.It's ` �"� �.:. � �� ; typical of the pine barrens,Fire Island and �: many other dry,sandy areas right here on the �� north shore. �' After we packed up our chairs and took � ' things back to the boat,we were ready for our '� � beach walk.We no sooner started walking than we saw pieces of the old and familiar rock- weed.As kids,and I guess adults,too,we used to pop the air sacks that were all through the slippery brown mass.Rockweed usually attach- Times/Review photo by Paul Stoutenburgh es to jetties and stones and things that are fair- This baby diamondback turtle could have hatched out last fall ly heavy.The air bags keep the rockweed or even this spring. It all depends on the warmth of the upright and off the bottom. weather. Laok for the heads of the larger diamondback tur- The first thing we come across is a razor tles in our creeks. They are easy to spot on calm da s. clam shell.It gets its name from the fact that it's long and shaped like an old-fashioned straight razor.They are good eating,by the way,but a little tricky to dig up since they have the ability to pump themselves down into the sand before you can dig them out.And here's a soft clam shell.We dodt see too many of them enclosure and head for deeper water.They actually swim on their first outing,then when they are mature enough they seek out the bot- tom,where they'll spend the rest of their life as their soft shells disintegrate rather easily.Fres y searching for food.A few weeks ago you dug,steamed and dipped in butter,there's nothing Would have seen their tracks on the high better. beach where they came up and laid their eggs. The most common shell I see is the slipper shell, We are also looking for tracks of the dia- or boat shell.That's the one that usually attaches mondback terrapin.This is our local saltwater itseli to rocks;sometimes you see four or five of turtle.We haven't seen any traces of them any- them,one on top of the other.They are also good �'here along the high beach.We used to see eating.All you have to do is pop them off with a them all the time.Has the cold,wet weather stout blade and just pick out that juicy piece of ineat held them�off? I wonder. and eat it raw.They make a good snack on any We just passed a patch of dusty miller that beach walk. now has its inconspicuous,small yellow flowers We also see two-to four-inch red jellyfish that showing.Dusty miller is like so many other have been washed up along the beach.Not a great seaside plants.They are immigrants from far- number of them but enough to let you know they a�'ay places,some as far away as Asia.I can are there.None of the ones I see have the long sce the beginning of seaside goldenrod, stinging tentacles. healthy plants growing in the dry sand here. Here's a carcass of an old bluefish that someone They are only about eight inct�es tall now,but caught,took the fillets off,and threw the rest over- they will grow to three feet or more by fall, board.The gulls have been feasting on it.There's not �'hen they'll display huge yellow flower heads. much left.It's almost like a skeleton except for the One of the true plants of the upper beach is big,hard gill plates.You should see the teeth on this sea rocket.It's a neat plant because you can fish.No wonder they're such ferocious feeders. break off one of its thick leaves and nibble on The water along the beach where we are walkin �t. It has a spicy tang to it.A lot of people pick g it for salads to give that extra interesting taste. is clear as a bell.No brown tide here.Up the beach I It's a true lant of the u see a lone gull.It reminds me of years ago,when on p pper beach. this very beach there was always one gull that would I might add that the high beach is covered patrol the shallow water just off the beach.It would �'ith fresh new beach grass.It propagates itself paddle along until it spotted a sand crab,then ou'd mostly by rhizomes just below the surface of Y the sand.It keeps growing no matter how see it jab away at it until it got it in the right posi- deep the sand gets above it.As the windblown tion.After much readjusting,it would bring it ashore sand builds up,the grass keeps ahead of it. and feast on it.The only things it could never get You'll see this grass being planted to stop ero- into were the extra-hard claws.They were always sion on beaches.Beach left as evidence that the gull had had its meal.These grass is one of the cre- sand crabs or lady crabs grow two to three inches ators of sand dunes. across and they can nip your toes if you step on one. It's a funny day.It's been They never come after you. overcast ever since we left We're now walking back along the upper beach, yet we can feel a heat pene- above the high-water mark,to see what has come in trating the overcast.It's on the high tides of spring.There's an old shell of a actually quite warm.It has horseshoe crab.We're not seeing as many of these been a nice leisurely outing, relics of the past as we used to.They come up on the a great way to spend a day. beach at night to lay their eggs at the high-tide line, We had a little lunch,got away rom the house,and then leave.The sun will then incubate their buried best of all was the relaxing walk on the beach. eggs.In about a month,the tiny horseshoe crabs We're heading back across a calm bay.The wind hatch out.The little ones crawl out of their BB-size has dropped off.We're passing the beaches that are now empty.In a few weeks they'll be alive with peo- ple.A lone swan greets us at the mouth of the creek. I wonder if it has lost its nest to the high water. We've had some of those extremely high tides this S��PPQr shell spring that could be deadly to nesting marsh birds. meat makes Seems we're the only ones out on the bay today. a good snaek In no time we're headed up our creek.We move as slowly as possible for the tide is way out.Barbara is on any beach in the bow to help keep the motor from hitting bot- walk. tom as we go through the shullow water.At the dock we unload and head home,thanking the world that provided us with such a wonderful day.