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Home My WebLink AboutMay 22, 2003 - Spring fliers are on the wing May 22, 2003 • The Suffolk Times • • rin lers . are on e wln `�a H �z� `, �` �� 3�� . .. .. . � r t,ti � \� .a� ;� i� � • � � � �� J � +/ �; � ��„��. � �� -� ' � ,<� S�,r �,w; a _..� ::��,��: � �;ri�: � ,�.�... Times/Review photo by Jim House This is the season for migrating birds that have spent their winter in Central America or the Caribbean. This Ifttle mite cailed the Nashville warble�came aboard Jim House's boat offshore last week. Oftentimes birds get blown off their course or simply travel over water to reach their destinatian. IT's MAY 14 aND I't�sitting outside �ere are so many interruptions in writing my weekly column.I only our lives that I often start writing only wish you could be with me to see the to be interrupted and hours,or even flurry of petals drifting down from th days,later come back to the article. big old cherry tree to my right.It We're actually going to be interrupted blossomed this here as the day is too beautiful to sit past week and is and not take advantage of it,so F�(rLJ$ now finished its garbara and I are taking time out and oN job of attracting going to walk down to our little pond birds and insects �the back pasture ... NATURE to its blooms. .,, Back again.We just returned by Paul Now it's casting from the pond where we saw our Stoutenburgh a�'ay its petals. green heron enjoying his meal of gold- T'hey sprinkle fish.We disturbed it,so it headed back the lawn,the to the little clump of woods about a patio,everywhere with their white- quarter-mile to the north.This green ness.At times it's like being in a snow heron for the past 10 years has built its shower. nest in those woods even though warm and even Nashville warbler ew onto t eir oat appreciated the and stayed with them for a half-hour ' Judd could or so.It even lit on one of their fishing life jackets poles.It had worked its way up from everyone was g@t C1tb11'dS Central America and somehow found required to t6 CODI@ t0 itself out in the ocean,glad to find a wear.At that ��s ��nd spot to rest,and,once rested,off it time of the year flew to its destination somewhere in we always threw WItI1 IIttI@ the north,where it will nest. in a big garbage pj�eS 0'� This warbler has a beautiful white there's a new develo ment om bag of extras for P g g those kids who 'CheeSe. eye ring that really stands out,making all around it.I wonder how long it will it easy to identify.It s one of the marks be before the woods,too,will fall into just couldn't get to look for.We've found that back in houses and gardens. warm and needed extra gloves,socks 1810 this warbler,along with the Also down at the pond we saw 13 and sweaters. Kentucky warbler and the Tennessee painted turtles.The encouraging thing We also took groups of BOCES stu- Warbler,were named by that great nat- about those 13 turtles is the little ones. dents down when we worked summers uralist Alexander Wilson,who was one Turtles lay their eggs in a warm,sunny With them.Of course,the weather was of our early ornithologists.And so we spot and let nature incubate them. much more pleasant then.One time have this tiny little Nashville warbler Somehow the parents have been able We had six canoes and,knowing a little stopping by on its long migration that to bring off a batch of young.Some we bit about young people,I had brought goes right through our island. saw were an inch-and-a-half in diame- along my little outboard motor,which By now,spring is well on its way and ter,along with the larger,about four- just worked perfectly with my although I haven't seen too many to five-inch,adults.So their world is Grumman square-ended canoe.About migrating birds yet,over in my son's working well. three-quarters of the way down,the yard I did see a Baltimore oriole,an Just this morning I noticed the cat- kids grew weary of paddling and their rchard oriole and cedar waxwings all birds had arrived from their winter canoes were scattered here and there. 'n a beautiful flowering pear tree.They sta down south. ' ' h We had a deadline to meet to get back ere busy plucking away at the blos- friendliest birds we have.Often they'll to camp at Shelter Island for dinner,so oms.I would be interested to know if come within six or eight feet of you I tied all the canoes together and,with they were eating little worms that start and look curiously at you,then go on mine in the center and that little out- off in the blossoms or if they were lit- with their business of bugging the board motor,we headed home.Once erally eating parts of the blossoms.It's bugs.Judd Bennett of East Marion at the end of the river we hauled out y belief that it's a little worm that used to feed the catbirds.They were so and returned our canoes to Peconic they find in the blossom.They were friendly he could get them to come to Paddler. busy and in their glory among the Pear his hand with little pieces of cheese. Back to our present short stop at the blossoms.What a sight to see. This spring migration of birds has edge of the river,the only warblers we While checking the river for war- spent the winter down in Central saw were the yellowrumps or,as they blers,we saw the cinnamon ferns well America,the Caribbean,and some were once known,myrtle warblers. on their way to three-to four-foot-tall even in our Southern states.Now There must have been a half-dozen of fronds.This is a big fern that grows in they're moving up north to their indi- them flitting here and there.They were the wet freshwater areas along the vidual nesting areas. catching flying insects that were hatch- river.We also saw the interrupted fern. Barbara and I had some errands to ing out just below the spillway.Of In some of the areas where we walked do in Riverhead and while we were course,always in waterways like this along were mats of Canada lily,some- there we took a quick side trip to the we find the red-winged blackbird thing like our lily of the valley,but in Peconic River to see if there were any singing its heart out.Once it finds a miniature.Skunk cabbage was well on migrating warblers around.It's the mate,there is no need to sing.We its way to taking over the wet spots area where LIPA has that big,round heard the yellow warbler with its char- with its big green leaves.Pond lilies gas storage tank off West Main Street. acteristic song.Tree swallows were ere starting their floating leaf plat- It's a good spot to find warblers.It's �,orking low over the river getting orms and later will have that beautiful where the water is dammed up and their share of the flying insects. hite blossom that almost looks unre- comes out through two big culverts to We are in the midst of a migration al,iYs so perfect.Wild strawberries on continue its way down the river that occurs every year.To think these a dryer spot were in blossom,which toward ' then out into little birds often fly across vast bodies means the cultivated strawberries will Flanders Bay. of water to reach a friendly shore is a soon be on the roadside stands.I can This area brings back memories of miracle in itsel£Proof of this flying hardly wait! when I was teaching in Greenport. over the water was a call I got from PS.Arnold just called from Nassau One February we accompanied Jim House telling me that they had Point to tell me his second purple mar- Charlie Jantzen's outdoor education been fishing offshore when a warbler tin apartment(bird house)has now class down the river,stopping every Which he later identified as a been occupied.He has more purple once in a while to portage the canoes martins than anyone I know.He also around the numerous dams.We trav- recently had a harp seal using his float- eled with gloves and hats to keep ing dock to haul out on.Quite unusual to have seals this far u into Peconic Ba .