The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutNovember 27, 2003 - The final voyage of fall The Suffolk Times • November 27, 2003 e in a vo a e 0 a � �o ,,� �.�,, , �; TxE DAY s'raxTED with an overcast ��r �� sky and sprinkles.My son was going � � ,��,��'� �;�� to take his ski boat up but wanted to ��r�r'�`" " ��,;, have one last day on the bay with it. �, a�„,, � � �r�� He called to see if I wanted to travel � � � "✓yr along with him and his son.Of course � '�%"�� I did.His plan was that we'd head for �� ; �� '",, �, Shinnecock and see if we could pick � ✓"-��r� � � �� up some late-fall ; ,, �' ;{,"� ' t,� '� ' nin r3 bluefish.The �/'� �,�� „i��j�� +V$ boat is fast and , i��"�9 u� , ,�i;t;' the bay was � �"��'� . , �N ' calm and so our � � h;��;�,'� �A"]'��JRE trip started with ��% ��'"��,^��' � by Paul great expecta- �� , '�;' , `;4!�°'';��,�� StOutenbu h tions.However, ��` �� `��'� �� '"��"�", � Times/Review photo by Paul Stoutenburgh we no sooner Gannets are one of our great ocean birds that occasionally can be seen left the dock diving for fish just offshore. Look for an all-white bird with black wing tips. than it started to rain.No way we'd give in to that rain,especially with a 15-year-old on board,and besides, As we sped along it was good to true fishermen never give up,no mat- see the sea ducks back in our bays ter what the weather. after they've spent the summer nest- On our way through the channel to ing in the far north.We have three the bay we scared up 50 or more species of them.The most common is snow buntings on the upper beach. the white-winged scoter.You tell These delightful little birds will be them by the white patch in the wing with us throughout the winter,eking as they t7y.Then there's the surf scot- a living out of the hidden seeds only er,or"skunk head,"as the baymen they can see amongst the grains of call them.They have a white patch on sand. top of their head.The third is the black scoter,which is not as common as the others.It's more or less all blackish. All llu�cc arc ciiving ducks that probe the bottoms for anything that's cdible,including small crabs,fish and shcllfish.They have a very powerful stomach that can take mussels and fish.We tried cast- swallow them whole,letting their giz- ing in amongst zards grind them up to take out the them,but had no nutrients and pass the fragments of darkish black.It's a bird that would luck.The joy of the shells throughout the bay.These rather dive to escape danger than fly seeing these hand- are deep divers,too.They are big away. some ocean birds ducks,bigger than our mallards. Besides the big common loon, was good enough Often they can be found in small which on occasion also can be heard for me.Many were groups in our bays.Yet in Gardiners calling its wild and eerie call across in juvenile Bay,off Orient Beach State Park,I've the bay,we saw an occasional horned plumage,a sort of often seen them literally by the thou- grebe,or as we kids used to call gray/brown/black sands during the winter. them,"helldivers."They have that color.But the These sea ducks come down here reputation because they can seeming- most striking were to get away from the frozen waters of �y disappear under the water before the almost-white ones.How clean the north.Here they'll feed until the shot from the hunter's gun can and beautiful they were,with their early spring,when the ice has melted. reach them.I�c on't know how true narrow wings and long,pointed It's then you see them frolicking and that is,but they,too,would rather beaks. mating and getting escape under water like the loon, Our trip back from the three-mile ready to head instead of flying away like the old- buoy out in the ocean was unevent- north to nest. squaw and scoters,as danger ful,but we did see fish breaking.We The boat sped approaches. got out the gear and cast into them, right along as the Throughout the day we had show- �n�y to hook one and then lose it. ducks scurried out ers of rain.That even made the trip a The same happened with my son. of the way and bit more adventuresome.We entered Each of us thought we had a fish for i7ew from in front Shinnecock Canal and dropped our dinner,but no,our day was going to of us as we headed speed down to the 5 mph posted be a fishless one.Yet that last day for Shinnecock speed limit.Ahead we could see the before haul- Canal.Besides the green light of the locks inviting us in. ing out scoters,there's a No sooner were we in than the great The gannets proved to b sea duck that I doors of the locks closed behind us one of the think is the true and the forward lock opened up.We were dropping hest days fo symbol of winter's were on our way.We were now head- Out of the sky me.My son ice and snow— ed to Shinnecock Bay.Soon we were ��ke roekets. had brought the oldsquaw. in the mouth of the inlet,where the along sand- What a magnifi- mighty ocean meets the bay. Here we wiches and cent flier and found others trying to catch fish as drinks that we all feasted on as we yodeler.On quiet we were.We never did see an one drifted on the calm waters of days you can hear catch an ,nor did we have an luck them yodel as they y Y Shinnecock Bay. talk amon st fishing,but to me it was just the joy It was getting late as we headed g of being out on the water that count- back,retracing our steps through the themselves.On ed.No fish here—we'd try out in the Iocks and then out into the Peconics, wild windy days ocean.Hopefully we'd see birds where we once again flew like the you can see them working there.That would mean fish W�nd, By now it was getting dark. flying and seem- below. Before we left we had brought the ingly diving in the As we got out offshore,I saw flocks trailer around to the launching place waves.They drop in,lcav�ng a sp as of over a hundred cormorants in the creek and we headed full tilt in almost youthfu] glce.Oldsquaws migrating west.Then I saw an equal for that.All channel buoys had been have a long tail,and their black-and- number of scoters heading east. taken up,so we took it slowly into white coloring along with their pink- Evidentl the were lookin for ood ish bills makes them one of the most y y g g the creek.By the time we got to the handsome of our winter ducks.These, mussel grounds. boat ramp,it was almost dark.It had too,are bottom feeders and spend But the greatest been overcast all day with rain show- joy of all was the ers every hour or so. most of their time diving and forag- sight of gannets Now the boat was put on the trail- ing on the bottom. working offshore. er and out it came,dripping with Besides the oldsquaws and scotcrs, Here was a bird water. Our day had probably been a we'd occasionally see a loon.This is a with a win s an of big bird,almost goose-like in size.It g P failure in most people's minds,but to has a big,heavy,pointed bill and is over five feet, us there was something special about dressed in beauti- that cloud ,rain November da . now dressed in its winter garb of ful white,with wing tips of black. They were drop- ping out of the sky like rockets,evi- cicntl catching