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Home My WebLink AboutNovember 06, 2003 - Birding perils and pleasures The Suffolk Times • November 6, 2003 • � Ir In . erl s � an easures Sn�ruKi�Av,Orr.25—Our first frost covered the back pasturc.Our cows worked the high ground where the. 1'rost haddt settled.Evidently they don't like their grass with ice on it.As the temperatures started getting iw �� below 40 and the wind dro ed off ,i,i'�ry°'''`�� '�'�,l � ��✓�'��'��°'` PP � � ,,,�`' ,;, A° ;��i''M,��, �,-,� the stage was set for�frost.Luckily we �, � �� "° had gotten most of the tender plants � ,'� ^ �� ° �"� ' � � � � �y � u � 1ri.7'jley'll Stay allOt112?ITlOrit}] OT SO lri )r ��,w wa, „ hi �� r� �i our unheated greenhouse,then every- ° � �,;�� t� �wy �g -. = `%��,;,„ thing falls prey to the cold of winter. �� „ » '� � , '�, � ,�� `'�" '�%�°/�' We were eat- , ,,! ��, � ,„t . ,� ing breakfast, � � �� -�li, „- �. °� ��' F��'.V S looking out at � � � 'rA � � �., �„ ,,, . �, '' ; . the changmg � -"'�.- ON � �� s � � ;�� world around us, �``" �X=� _ „� �� NATU RE when all of a r'� � » � by PBUI sudden we heard �- � ''� �',_ , �° Y Stoutenburgh a thud.We knew � � �� "�" ,� m �� ; �� ,. ' ,��, ; , ��s ,%-, what that meant: �,a�,, ' , �„ ti� A bird had hit �° � ,�'� �'� � � � �n„�,'� ��:�, �� our big picture window.We have sil- �" �� ,� � ��- � "�"� �;�� *'�% "" � ,-� � houettes of hawks pasted on our win- , ,n�w,;;�; �� ,�� , � � u�, ,,; Ni/'�, ��- �,� dows to deter birds and we usually ,,, � keep the curtains closed during migra- , �r � � ' ��'�� tion time,but this morning we were rimes/Review pnoco by Paui scouienburgn enjoying the change in the seasons Migrating birds are often confused by reflections in windows and wind up when disaster struck. crashing into them. Often they're killed, but sometimes they are just Barbara went out and found a her- stunned and then later fly away, as this hermit thrush did. mit thrush on the ground that had bro- ken its neck and died.She brought it in and laid it on the table.To our amazement a small fly crawled out achieved its growth and is from between the feathers.This was ready to pupatc.Except for �t haS been something new to us.We went to our two families of small tlies reference books and found that birds parasitic on bats and the said that the have many parasites.Some,like licc tsctse flies,the female song of the and mites,can be quite a problem. manner of incubating the hermit thrush 1't�en we found that"bird-flies"live in young larvae within her the feathers of a bird.They usually hody is unknown at pres- IS the most don't harm the bird,but live and raise cnt in any other insect."If beautlfu�� their young quite content among the wc were correct in identify- feathers. ing this bird-tly (we are Audubon Society's Encyclope,dia of �till waiting for confirmation 19�om the North American Birds says female ('ornell research lab in Riverhead), bird-flies"are remarkable in that they this is an interesting bit of information give birth to a single offspring while regarding birds and their parasites. living on the bird.After the fertilized The bird-fl evidentl continues to egg hatches within the female's body, thc larva is nourished for a time by hcr s�ccial`milk �lands' unlil it has live and travcl with thc bird on its migration. It has been said that,of all the birds, the song of the hermit thrush is the most.beautiful. 1 would agree with that.One year we were up in New birds.They saw the light and were Hampshire at a friend's cabin.Toward attractcd to it,got confused and evening I stole away from everyone ��ished themselves to death on the and walked up a little rivulet and sat tower,guide wires and other tall struc on a rock just to absorb the wonders tures on the air base.We 1'rterally around me.Then,off in the distance, 1 p��ked up hundreds of dead birds— heard a call I'll never forget.It was thc tiny warblers,nigh'thawks,thrushes, When I was a kid,blacksnakcs were cicar,delicate call of the hermit «��koos and many,many others. It relatively common. I remember when thrush. It is just so perfect.It sang long W�� heartbreaking to see.Man has I was collecting wild asparagus along after the sun had set.We find this shy, ��knowingly made these death traps our creek edge I was scared to death st�ft brown bird with the speckled that each year take their toll on birds. by a snake.As I went down to snap hrc�ist spendin its summers mostly in As I said,there are few things you off a big juicy piece of asparagus,I the forests of New England.We don't �� do to prevent window fatalities. heard this"rattling"in the grass near- see it around our homes during the ��of the things we do is put a sil- by. [ looked and saw.this big snake summer months but it can be found in hc�uctte of a hawk on the window so and,of course,I thought it was a rat- the pine barrens,where it has heen Whcn the bird sees it,it will hopefully tlesnake making the noise.I got out known to nest.It's only during its �urn away.Or better yEt,during bird of there fast Later I found out that spring and fall migrations that this migrations (spring and fall)close the many snakes have a tendency to wig- wonderful songster visits our back curtains so birds dodt think the clear g1e their tails when disturbed.My big yards. window is a passageway to safety. blacksnake just happened to hit While researching information on While we're talking about problcm. something as it shook its tail,making birds flying into windows,etc., oP wildlife,one of the encouraging a rattling sound,making me sure it thin s brou ht to m attention this �'as a rattlesnake. Barbara came up with some interest- g g y It seems we alwa s used to have ing facts.It seems that window kills week was the sighting by my daughter Y of a lar e blacksnake in the vicinit of g�rter snakes around,but we haven't rank high in cause of death among g y seen an in two ears.We often would birds.Scientists have estimated a mil- Peconic Dunes in Southold.Black- �t an xcited c ller tellin us about a lion birds are killed annually in North snakes are not poisonous.We have no �� g America colliding with windows and poisonous snakes on Long Island.This snake in their cellar.I would go and man's many light sources,such as handsome blacksnake that was once f�nd it was a harmless milk snake.I so common has become rare here on haven t had a call in years from any- lighthouses and tall buildings.All are one who has seen one of those.We'd hazard to tnigrating birds. the North Fork.There are ma�y haz- I can vouch far this.In the 'SOs Roy ards snakes of all kinds must face in often find hog-nosed snakes around Wilcox,a famous birder on the south today's world.Just crossing the road P�conic Dunes.As long as that area is shore,called me up one day and asked can be a deadly trip.Lawnmowers,the kept relatively undeveloped we'll have me to meet him at Westhampton Air tilled land of the farmer and the ever- them there. Base.In those days it was an active increasing blacktop and houses all add �is week has had a bit of.sadness, military base,with jets running in and up to reducing the snake's habitat.It's With the thrush bashing itself against out around the clock.It was the time a shame,for thcy did nothing but our window.Yet it was nice to hear of the cold war. good for all of us._ that there still are a few blacksnakes One way of finding out about.Let's hope that people will how high the clouds were become more understanding about was to direct a searchlight snakes and not run Por an ax or shovel straight up into the cloud to beat a harmless snake to death. layer at night.Then,using Snakes do nothing but good,eating simple triangulation,they rats,mice and insects of all kinds— could tell just how high just good guys to have around.If you the clouds were.One night see one,be glad,for they're becoming there must have been a just memories to many of us—things tremeudous mi ration ol of the ast.