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Home My WebLink AboutMarch 11, 2004 - A dandy day for digging clams The Suffolk Times • March 11, 2004 an a . . or 1 n c ams , � � ,, r�� { �,, ,� , ,� , �.� , � ,p .m,` � � ii�lj�h�`l� /r; . � m��a �,,� i�M� ��rl i�i l�-'. . Y� ��hN �� ry . :, rry � ��p�q� ' n , . � ��,�dN�n � , � l�y�� *r�: y^ .^ . �� + Nm� 4'�,"4� , � yd �l�l�,� 6 r; ,�,,� tl , i H . l ia i �mM% �' ;1+,. YN'�Y" �r �� 1i��'�� °l�II"0� ;�u��: �'�"'�n�+�� N y(9 µ � �:. 11/�1 ,V�NM �m.� .1�.S�'..;�.. �� ,.,` � r�,,_. "�� ' m��N�"� w �. � ,� u� ^�. �" ��''��"�� n� nu� �'� �,w ��a� ndt�'�� a ,�k } � % �a�� +A�` :� ""+m,pui� . � r��'su'�"�"+�`.. •J,, '�W��"d f�� n� . "'p . �w :: ��.w+^x, +R ,,�. ,"�, .r.��`r��.. _ 'L ��` +im�, !`; ��X��hti: Pl�u�to I�y P:r..'��a�i.�,i'� ��i,,.r�li Hard clams come in many sizes. All are good to eat. Big ones like the ones you see here will be used to make baked clams, using the shells to cook them in, and then, of course, a hearty chowder will be made, either Manhattan or New En land st le. How �it�vou �iK�those summer snow and frozen ground gone. days we had last week? I know '�e ice in our creek has started to Barbara and I enjoyed them.We woke thaw.It starts thawing at the head of up for the first time to see our rhodo- the creek first.I think the reason it dendron leaves relaxed and in their melts here first is that there is so much normal shape. warm groundwater mixing with the Mornings when it saltwater,and when the combination had been cold, F�GjJs flows out into the creek it melts the they were rolled �� ice. up,as we once It's interesting to see the surface of said,looking like NATURE the ice in the creek dotted with shells pcncils.When we by paul and stones from the seagulls'dropping looked out in the Stoutenburgh them on the hard surface of the ice. pasture,the cows This dropping breaks open the dam were actually or slipper shell so the gull can feast on grazing for the first time.What they it.Slipper shells are usually attached were grazing on wasdt much,Pm to a stone or some other heavy object afraid.Everything had been burned and must be broken loose to get at the by the extremc cold we had,yet they p�eat.T'm sure most of you have seen ere munchin awa , lad to see the a gull h<�vcr 3O or 40 fcct in U�c air scicncc cu;�r�cliri�itut� iu �xu 1�>cal ancl sat Lhcr� in thc s��lcncfur uf thc school,who keeps a saltwater tank, day.There were a couple of benches so along with the six-inch razor clam we we sat down and had our salad and tea also found that,like the name implies, and all the good things that go into looks like an old-fashioned straight one of Barbara's special lunches.The razar.They are not often dug up,as water was absolutely glasslike.As far they pull themselves down faster than as you could see it was smooth,with- you can dig. out a ripple on it.You don't see the and then drop its prize on thc hlack We noticed that this creek,like oth- bay that way very often.There always pavement of the road,the hard sur- ers,had great areas of dead marsl�. It seems to be a little breeze or current face of the ice or even the hard sur- didn't look like the usual winterkill of rippling along,but not that day. face of someone's roof. the marsh,for the marsh grass was Way off in the distance,through my About breakfast time my son camc missing and just dead bog showing. binoculars,I could see a group of up and,always having a lot of extra What's going on in our creeks? ducks frolicking.With it so quiet and energy,asked if I'd]ike to go clam- We coulddt get over how clear the still,we could actually hear them.I ming with him.I'm not as nimble as I water was.In one place we worked venture to say they were a mile away. used to be,but I said,"That sounds our way across the channel.It must They were oldsquaws,that winter good to me."So we got the rakes out have been six feet deep,but it seemed duck that seems to burst with activity. of the garage,put on boots and were as if we were looking into a gin-clear It's one ur fastest flying ducks,a off to a special spot he knows.We put aquarium.You could sec handsome one decked out his boat in at one of the launching clearly all the way to the As far as you in black and white and ramps the town has provided.(How bottom. Up where the eould see the long tail feathers,one of important these sites are,for they pro- creek opened like a small the divers that gleans the vide the public with the only access to bay,there was still ice,and Water was bottom for its food.When the towds waters.) My son backed his on it sat probably 50 or h0 SfllOOth� Wlth011t on the surface they chatter truck onto the ramp and lifted out th� geese,enjoying the amongst themselves.Of a ripple on it. boat.It was made of very thin alu- warmth of the day.That's course,this is the time for minum,making it easy to carry,but it the usual routine of geese,restmg dur- the mating game,so.there's much was held together with aluminum riv- ing the day and then going inland to squabbling and chasing.They actually ets which,through time,had worked i-ye t'ields ar cornfields to eat at night. seem to yodel.When we were there loose,and you know the results.The Wc scared up a small flock of buffle- listening to them I thought back to an boat leaked like a sieve.This didn't heads,locally known as butterballs. old reference book printed in 1907. It detcr us,as we had only a short way to Thcy flew out low over the water like gave some of the local names for old- gc before we could pull the boat up big black-and-white bees. squaws,named because of the sound on lhe beach.We were the only ones At one point we had to dump the of their yodeling.One name given out in the creek at that hour.With the boat to get the water out,it had gotten them was"John Conolly"because the tidc going out,we started scratching in so deep,but that was all part of the call sounded like that:"John Conolly, earnest game,and we took it as just part of John Conolly,John Conolly."Another Then my son brought up the largest the days adventure.We did fairly well, was"John Hollenbeck,"because clam I've ever seen.It was a monster. getting probably 40 or 50 clams, someone thought their call sounded We wanted to know how old it was,so enough for a few on the half shell,a like that.As a boy,the author was told when we came home,out came my few for steamers and a few for chow- to call them"South,South,Southerly" books and Barbara went to the com- dcr.I think I told you how to open as the oldsquaw's call closely imitated puter.We searched for the age of the these big clams:Put them in the freez- that sound. quahog dam.What we found was that er.Let them get well frozen,then take Up close we had a foursome of red- it could be anywhere from 25 to 30 them out and run them under warm breasted mergansers,known locally by years old.What to do with this mon- water until you can slip your knife in. some as sawbills or shelldrake.The ster clam`?We decided to give it to the They'll open up with little or no trou- males were all decked out in their ble.It's such a clean and easy way to courting attire and were chasing each do it.Try it the next time you get some other around.There was one female big clams. and everyone was trying to show her At about ll a.m.we decided to his best qualities.There was an excep- head back.The tide had changed and tional number of gulls around because there were seven or eight other peo- people come to the beach with their ple scratching for clams.Everyone old bread and stale rolls to feed them. seemed to be out to enjoy this super In no time every gull within a mile day. comes flying in for his share.What The next day turned out to be just as better way to dispose of unwanted nice,so we took a lunch to the beach bread?