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Home My WebLink AboutMarch 11, 2004 - Keeping an eye out for eagles The Suffolk Times • March 4, 2004 • ee ln an e e ou or e a e s A r-RicND oF a, ra►�N� of ours told us he had seen an eagle along the Peconic River.That made sense because eagles enjoy the spoils of `�' '�" 0 ��' � �. rivers and bays and whenever an � , ��,�.,,µ � a;" eagle comes by,which is rather rare, • ^^- � 'w a� r it's a good place to look for them. '�'�' "" � ' ,i� �, �'. And so we hopped in the car and ,, �� ' � "� � M, � " �� yp headed up to West Main Street in � ,;' , � �' Riverhead.We � ",-� � "� �'' passed all the � �� ""�",°�°' "�,°,"" �' ° ; �� Q(;�J$ little houses � � " �' and big houses p ,�,� ��. � ON and motels that �"��' � �� NA"�'�,JRE have their back � � � � J'� " by Paul Yards on the � StOutenbulgh Peconic River. " �. r Soon we came to the Snow �`� ��°�. F lake ice cream shop on the right.Wc '� ��Iled in across the road where the I�I?C has a launching area.It's here �` � , � yc�u can put your canoe in the water. 1 t's a very nice spot with a little waterfall formed by the water that runs through a huge culvert.This is >� where we were hoping to see the ,, �, . eagle but,sarry to say,we didn't see '� one. What we did see was a freshwater �'�` . � merganser.This is a handsome black- �` J -'�' ��' and-white duck with a bright red bill, one we very seldom see except in the ""� freshwater areas of Riverhead.We � hardly ever see it out on the North � � ;�""��""" � Fork.The merganser we see in our � � "� J �h creeks,bays and the Sound is called ��':"�'� � the red-breasted merganser,which is �%'�� .� � �? a handsome diver in its own right. ` ',, ' Well,this talk of eagles spurred us �u,,, �� "; ;,,, ��%�d � �� on to talk with our friends who own �l Times/Review photo by Barbara Stoutcnburgh cabin up in the Catskills.I've taken Bald eagles are occasionally seen here on Long Island. However, you there once or twice before.They the picture above was taken on the east brarach of the Delaware reported that their daughter's family River in upstate New York just last week. The eagles were actu- had just recently been up to the cabin ally snatching fish from the river, something we see our ospreys and seen an eagle on the outskirts of do here. Margaretville and that they were going up to the cabin for a few days First day:38 degrees.At 7 o'clock the Palisades Parkway,eventually and would we like to go along?Who Sunday morning they picked us up onto Route 17,where we stopped at knows,we might see an eagle,and and we headed north.First we got of the famous Roscoe Diner for lunch. what more pleasant way to spend.a Long Island,then we crossed the �'1�en finally on to the cabin,which few days than with friends in their Geor e Washin ton Bridge and onto took us alon the ed e of the 22- beautiliul cabin in Che Catskills. � . _ _.:.�: ,.:. , __ .:; ,.. .., : . .,:_. .- .:. - _ y. _,;-:. ,--- milc-long Pc��actc�n "I�on't make any quick Reservoir that supplics moves."The van turns New York City with e something to eat?A family of around and we head most of its water. chickadees joins them to see if they back,creeping along th On our way we made can find some scraps.Sure enough, side of the road.Slowly, a stop at Margaretville, they find the birdseed we had put slowly,we move toward where the eagle had out.So out of the stillness of the the eagle.It watches us. recently been seen tak- mountains with its snow and cold Barbara gets her cam- ing a fish out of the come the creatures that have made it era out."Click,""Click- river.No luck there.As through the winter.Today they are click-click,""Hold it we continued around just looking for something special to right there.""Move up a the reservoir we spot- eat. bit." There.Now that's ted six eagles feasting It's time to get up,then a hearty good.""Click-click- on an old deer carcass. breakfast and we're off looking for click."The eagle Evidently the deer had eagles.This time we'll travel along becomes uneasy and tried to walk across the Route 30 heading west.We'll parallel feels it's been intruded ice when it was thin the east branch of the Delaware. upon and flies away, and fell in and Someone told us they had spotted those great six-foot drowned.It became a eagles along there. wings pumping our per- meal for the eagles in How black the river looks with the fect eagle out of sight. thc area. Remember, white snow and ice all along its bor- �at a magnificent eagles are basically ders.We come to a covered bridge view we all had. scavengers.They do and as we turn the corner an eagle Day 3: 16 degrees. catch fish themselves, flies from one of the treetops and dis- What a difference a day but they don't dive appears.Everyone piles out of the akes.We woke to a directly into the water cloudy,overcast day with a few van to see where it went.But,no,it ilakes of snow coming down.That as our ospreys do; has eluded us.We go through the ciidn't deter us from making the best instead they come in on covered bridge and watch the ducks of it.We had breakfast and were a long swooping glide below.We see a air of little buffle- to snatch their prize P soon off looking for more eagles.We head ducks,the same ones we find in retraced yesterday's steps in hopes and then fly away.(By our creeks and bays back home. we would get another view of those the way,your favorite There's a pair of mallards,a pair of magnificent birds,but the snow that osprey should be back black ducks,a pair of geese.The high had started early now cut down our in two to three weeks.) point of the group is a pair of those visibility and was starting to cover Second day:6 a.m. handsome common mer ansers,the and 16 degrees. I can g the road.We did manage to find freshwater ducks I spoke of earlier in three more eagles,two in one tree. It see out the bedroom the Peconic River.Our binoculars kept snowing so we decided we had window a black-silhou picked up that red bill that stands out better turn back,and so we did,but etted mountain in the so prominently against the black-and- not until we spotted our three eagles, distance;it stands out white bod . against the creeping y nine turkeys and 10 deer.The deer dawn.It's the prelude 'I'here is a historical landmark sign were coming down to where the sun that tells us that this bridge was built had previously melted some of the for a new day here in in 1854 at the cost of$1,600.And just snow away.Here they could find the Catskills.Another - half hour passes and I can see the recenfly it was rebuilt something to nibble on. black skeletons of trees standing tall, at the cost of one mil- So our day back at the cabin their roots covered by a foot of snow. lion dollars.We pile became one of rest.Each of us found After another half hour I notice a back in the van and something to read away the after- tree that still has a few of its leaves. head west through the noon.What more could you ask for One leaf in particular is moving little town of on a snowy day? My reading came while all the rest are still.How could Downsville. Still paral- from an old New York State Forest, this be?There is not a breath of air leling the river,our Fish and Game Commission repart stirring.Everything seems asleep in eyes peer into the tree published in 1902. It was a report the cold.A pleasant riddle to figure tops and along the icy that covered just about everything out as I watch the world brightening edges in hopes of see- that commissioners could think of, up.Now the black mountain is yield- �nS an eagle. from forest fires to timber output to ing to the dawn.Then I notice the And then I spot one, shellfish to freshwater fisheries and top of the mountain is slowly being right by the roadside. lengthy discussion on birds.This fas- painted in gold.The sun is rising. Could it be that luck is cinated me,�far even in those early We're going to have a perfect day. b��ng to be on our side years there was a realization of the Four or five crows are checking us S��'e can photograph importance of birds in keeping the out.Evidently they saw the car,which it?"Go past it.""Turn inseet population down. means eo le are about. Could there here.""Go slow." On the fourth day we left;our stay couldn't have been more enjoyable. The temperature had dropped to one below zero.