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The News - Review
Page 1 of 3
he el$uffolh iffits*
Official Newspaper of Southold Town
Christmas in the field Saturday °ea
Focus on Nature: Holiday bird counts a
tradition
By Paul Stoutenburgh
With this years Christmas Bird Count
right around the comer, we thought a
would be interesting to take you back to
when it first started_
n 1900. Frank Chapman. editor of Bird -
Lore magazine, wrote: "Pt is not many A lesser yellowlegs. one of a species that
years ago that sportsmen were might be found on the annual Christmas
accustomed to meet on Christmas Day. Bird Count.
choose sides' and then. as Times/Review photo by Paul
representatives of the two bands Stoutenburgh
resulting, hie them to the fields and
woods on the cheerful mission of killing practically everything in fur or feathers that
crossed their path — if they could___ Now. Bird -Lore proposes a new kind of
Christmas side hunt_ in the form of a Christmas bird-census- and we hope that all our
readers who have the opportunity will aid us in making it a success by spending a
portion of Christmas Day with the birds and sending a report of their 'hunt' to Bird -
Lore before they retire that night_" (Roy Latham was one of those who responded to
this request in 1900)
From that small beginning. Christmas bird counts have become exceedingly popular
activities. involving thousands of people_ As it grew, the Christmas Bird Count
became more formalized, with various rules being set, such as 15-mile - diameter
circles, minimum 8 -hour counts, count periods, and tallies of party hours and party
miles of effort.
There are a number of counts around our area. including the Montauk - Gardiners
Island Count_ Water Mill Count, Central Suffolk Count and the Orient Count on the
North Fork. which includes Shelter Island. (See separate listing for details of area bird
counts_) The Orient count is one of the oldest in the nation, having been started by
Roy Latham. Long Islands famous naturalist_ Its efforts of people like Roy Latham,
whose early records were carefully documented_ that give meaning to this
generation's efforts. for without their records. what we find today would be
meaningless.
Shelter Island In going over our old files, we found a 1978 article called "It's All for the Birds'" from
Reporter the environment section of Time magazine_ It was written by a man who joined our
group to take part in the count at Orient and this is what he had to say-
The North Shore Sun "
The frostbitten early - moming exercise on Long Island was only a small part of an
annual ritual that is literally for the birds. Every holiday season for the past 78 years
The Wine Press bird lovers have flocked to woods and parkland, marshes and meadow to participate
in the National Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count_ The object is to identify and
tally as many varieties and numbers of birds as possible on a given day.
With the figures the volunteers provide. ornithologists are able not only to check the
health and vigor of different avian species but also to detect changes in their habitats.
set up wildlife sanctuaries and even help airlines reroute their planes to avoid
dangerous collisions with migrating birds.
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The bird count also ads as an environmental early warning system. Recalling the
canaries that miners took with them into coal mines to detect noxious fumes, birds
are usually quicker than man to read to changes about them; one example — recent
concerns over peregrine falcons, ospreys and brown pelicans because of widespread
use of insecticides.'
The author of the article ended with this thought "Most of the birdwatchers were
chilled and tired, eager to head for the hot cider and chowder awaiting them at the
end of the day.'
We are privileged to have some of Roy Latham's old bird count records that he sent
in to add to our Orient count when I was the compiler for the area. Here are a few
quotes from his letters:
1971 This is the list for the farm and the bird feeders in the village. You may have
Wed the marsh hawk as it came over the bay from Gardiners Island in the morning
and was over the farm all day and returned in late afternoon this is the winter habit of
the marsh hawk seen in Orient How far west they range now I do not know. Years
ago they went as far as Southold.
1972 — Here is my 73rd Christmas Bind Count, 1900 to 1972. This count was only
on this farm and my sister4n4aws place in the village. I did not see the small flock of
bobwhites. I know they are on the farm.
1974 — I wonder where the starlings are. None seen on the farm all summer and
none nested here, or only one seen at a time for weeks. None today here. Just like it
was 70 years ago. 1 do miss them and glad of it
1975 — Very few starlings recorded on this farm in 1975. Weeks at a time when no
starfings were seen. It takes us back 68 years to 1907 when the first starling was
recorded on the farm. Got just one on this count by skin of the teeth when a single
starring came to the yard to drink.
1976 — It is the third time a red - shouldered hawk has been in a tree in our yard
since November first This hawk has history here. We settled on this farm in 1888
when I was 7 years old). A pair of red- shouldered hawks was nesting on this farm
that year and the following years to 1912 until that grove of red cedars were cut off.
This bird alighted on a tree about 30 feet from me.
1977 — Very few birds around the farm this winter. Perhaps others are feeding them
better. At 97 here is my home list — "Herring Gull 2, Pheasant 2, Mouming Dove 7,
Sparrow Hawk 1, Saw -whet Owl 1, Downy Woodpecker 1, Flicker 2, Blue Jay 2,
Common Crow 5, Starling 0, House Sparrow 2, House Finch 2, White throated
Sparrow 2, Song Sparrow 2, Tree Sparrow 1, Junco 1, Cardinal 2, Myrtle Warbler 1,
and Hermit Thrush 1.'
Mr. Latham used his old 1912 Oliver typewriter to record his bind list each year on
stationery that had a picture of his windmill with an osprey nest on the top. His farm
was called The Osprey's Nest In one of The Suffolk Times' interviews with Mr.
Latham in the 70s he said, 'We used to see 19 fish hawk nests from the front porch.
Now we only see two. We had 60 osprey nests in Orient at the peak. Now there are
only four or five."
We've been reminiscing about the Christmas Bird Counts of long ago and how this
annual event got started and how it's grown. Now rd like to introduce you to Mary
Laura Lamont, who now compiles the Orient Christmas Bind Count and hosts the
after -count get together.
This year the Orient Count will be celebrating its 100th anniversary! As Paul stated
earlier, the famous naturalist Roy Latham established the count in the year 1944. It is
one of the oldest published counts in the country and this year will take place on Jan.
1, 2005. Approximately 50-70 observers are expected to participate in the count in
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The Suffolk Tunes I Christmas in the field Page 3 of 3
assigned areas stretching from Pecor is to Plum Island, Shelter Island and the north
side of the South Fork east and west of Sag Harbor.
After a day of counting birds, many folks come back to my house to have dinner and
hear the results of the day. A serr&compilation is done that night so we know of the
highlights and the approximate number of species. Its always a highlight of the day to
exchange bird stories, see old and new friends, sit by the fire and eat a hot bowl of
North Fork Fish Chowder. (Ifs Barbara Stoutenburgli's old recipe —1 told her 1
wouldn't take over the count unless she shared the recipe with me!) Actually some
people just do the count to get to the fish chowder afterwards!
last year the results were excellent We counted 28,535 individual birds
representing 113 different species. Its anyone's guess what we will tally Oft year on
New Year's Day. In 19D4, when the Orient Count was bom, Roy Latham wrote `deep
snow, cold northeast winds, temperaw a high of 16 degreesr Lefs hope the weather
this year will be a tad nicer than Ray's first year, as we do the count regardless of the
weather conditions.
I wonder what he would think now of his little Orient Count? Its an honor far me to
compile one of the oldest counts in the country and to continue in the footsteps of
Latham and the Stoutenburghs. The Stoutenburghs comimled this count for 27 years!
Its a great count and one 1 hope will continue for another loo years!"
2004 Times - Review Newspapers
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