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Home My WebLink AboutFebruary 05, 2004 - A wild goose (& duck) chase � _ .: . _ _. �.,:. ;:;�. The Suffolk Times • Febraury 5, 2004 • wl oose uc c ase � WE'RE HEADING Ot%"1�l0 CI10Ck oll "'^ ,��n'� ,, " !�� i winter ducks from Cutchogue to '��'�''��ti��"` ' '" ry� ^ .�!a��1:��+'!A'�tra6rrrA;v��`•� Orient as we did a few weeks ago when we went from here to " " �,�q�� k� ,�r�� ; Riverhead.This time we'll be heading � " d east.It's another cold day and most ° � , ry , �� water is frozen over.We pulled out of 'r� ��G��u ��"�" �� our driveway anci headed for the �„� � �� ° �� •,,.„�,,, � �� Nassau Point causeway to loo #` '�+w.. ��(��J$ across the bay. �` µ�' �.;:..-�•. � To the east ,�� m��, �" � ON were Jessup ' , ,+ '`"�� NATURE Nec1c and . � � � , : -`; by Paul Shelter Island. , There was ice �� " '��'�� ° � Stoutenburgh over half the bay where it had � been blown by gale winds.The narth- � �„,u;,; ,u,,,,�,,,� ern part of the bay was open.We saw d,�, nothing but seagulls crouched togeth- �_ 0I Ori ttle b28Ci1,CORSOTVIllg Oriel�.A �mn �� Paul Stout�nburgh �� Times/Revlew photo by couple of energetic crows were trying The female lies more to rob a seagull that had dropped its Here we see a pair of goldeneye ducks during courtship. slipper shell meal on the blacktop to or less prone upon the water when she desires to pair. Duck hunters know break it open.It's all in the name of these ducks as whistlers because of the noise the wings make when flying. survival. As we drove back up along Skunk Next sto ,South Harbor Lane in Lane and looked out onto Mud Creek Southold.We were pleasantly sur- we could see winter's icy grip had prised to find at the very end of the pulled some of the dock pilings out. road there was open water.There Our next stop was at Indian Neck in must have been a hundred geese with Peconic.Here we looked out onto the a smattering of widgeon,gadwalls and bay and saw nothing.Driving back we stopped and looked over Richmond's black ducks milling about in that small Creek at the thick cover of pines patch of open water.Oh,yes,there where years ago a great horned owl was one lone bufflehead.Usually dur- nested.I photographed the young in ing the winter we see small groups of their new fluffy brown coats.Great these little black-and-white ducks con- horned owls are our earliest nesters. tinually diving in our creeks. There was nothing there but a frozen Next we went to Laughing Waters, creek—a cold and wintry sight.I but there was nothing there to report guess the cold and wind had driven all on.Then to Cedar Beach,where we'd the ducks out. have a panoramic view of the bay.As we drove along Main Bayview Road Barbara and I reminisced about when this was all farmcd by thc Dickcrsons and Akscins and others.Now it seems �ere must be good foraging down as though new houses are sprouting there on the bottom to attract that up everywhere. number of ducks.They were all At Cedar Beach the wind had kept packed in this little opening that I the water open.We had probably 25 doubted could hold another duck. the same number bufflehead continually diving just off �'here was a house nearby with a of gulls mixed in. shore.As we sat there three horned slanted roof that faced into the sun A few mer- larks flew by.These are small spar- and on it were probably 40 or so com �ed ng,heir row-like birds that somehow can eke mon pigeons.They were warmin out a living on windblown beaches g heads under themselves and enjoying the early- and open land.They find seeds that morning sun.Needless to sa the Water as they have been caught in among the sand house roof is kind of inessy but the tom bodf od.�t grains.We also had a dozen or so pigeons didn't seem to mind. song sparrows huddled down on this We drove down Pipes Neck Road th ou drove windswept area looking for forgotten and looked across the cove but saw villag�a drient seeds. Cedar Beach is a neat area t nothing.In Greenport we scanned the ex lore but we stopped at the P open water toward Shelter Island yacht club dock. still had"miles to with the same result.Just to the north ��'•��" where the ferry comes in is a little f oz n out bout We passed over cove where we found 16 Canada 1,000 feet.Each Goose Creek geese feeding. It was fun to watch Bridge,which had them"upend"every once in a while piling had its own open water below as they reached for the bottom.The fro en ice.Out in but most every- big commercial fishing boats were the open water thing else was tied �ip at the dock,telling us that what looked like frozen.Just up th there were high winds off shore and ducks or geese creek a little frigid cold temperatures that could ways,out of thc add up to dangerous icin . turned out to be wind,were abc�ut Down by Preston's in Greenport frozen mooring eight black ducks, we found lots of open water and one ovely a`rea t a one widgeon and lone bufflehead.Then over by four or five buf- Sterling Basin where they once Orient is.We processed fish we found an interesting headed for Narrow River Road to flehead.On the take a peek out on the bay and across ice a seagull was collection of ducks out in the harbor. to the state park.Everything was eating something Through our binoculars we could see frozen up as far as we could see. when all of a sud- scaup (broadbill),oldsquaws,mer- Further along Narrow River Road den a crow came gansers,a few bufflehead and a pair �'e came to the town ramp near the in and stole the of black ducks.The nice find was the little marina.Usually there are ice gull's precious scaup,which years ago were common. boats working here in Hallocks Bay. meal from him. There must have been 60 or more of Perhaps the crust of snow discour- We drove down them bouncing up and down, aged them.We'd head far the ferry to Town Creek We left there and headed for terminal at the point.There was noth- and found every- Norman Klipp Park east of ing there except seagulls,so we head- thing there frozen Greenport,where way off we saw ed back,making our last stop the over.It's always wort stoppmg at another flock of scaup,about 25 of P state ark. this little park because people feed them.The tide was wa out.Gulls We were discouraged on our way the ducks,geese,swans and gulls. were usy walking along the exposed out to find nothing in that great There were a couple of ring-billed area picking up whatever they could expanse of Gardiners Bay but 10 or gulls waiting for someone to come find palatable.From here we moved 12 goldeneye.Usually this area is down with leftover bread,but as yet on to Shipyard Lane in East Marion. thick with winter ducks.As we passed no one had shown up.A few days What we saw down at the end of the headquarters and barns we saw a later the water opened up and our this road was lots of seagulls working lone great blue heron out in the son called to tell us there was a beau- the water's edge because of the low marsh,the only one we saw all day tiful male pintail duck there.We had tide.Scattered among the common l�ng•He must know the key to sur- to run down and take a look for our- gulls are the smaller laughing gulls in vival. selves;what we saw was a beautiful their drab winter plumage.On the We had spent four hours and trav- pair of pintails sitting on the ice. lawn of the nearby condos were 35 ��e�45 miles tracking the ducks from Down at Founders Landing the bay geese grazing.Our next stop would be Cutchogue to Orient.We could only was open but the creek was frozen, along the causeway to Orient. hope it was the cold weather and win with the exception of a small open Here again the tide was way out t��at h�d made their numbers so low. spot with two bufflehead (we and along the water's edge there must The sharta e of ducks is almost scar . thought).Then all of a sudden about have been 100 black ducks with about 20 or more of them started to pop up.