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Home My WebLink AboutSeptember 16, 2004 - A Labor Day without equal The Suffolk Times • September 16, 2004 a or a . wl ou e ua �, � ;� '�Kr„ ,,�;„m;. N� ; � A � � � �� r , ' ,iu�i . � �a �H� r. �,��„r,H� ��. ��i� _ •: �;,�r, � � ��. � ��h%i�� .•�. � /y��/ � � �, � �� +; ��w. �� s •,� : � �� x � �� 9 �4Y'F� '� d�µ 1� � .�, ��1 %!�� r� " ` s ��w, , � � "� I f '. , � �� •y1 � ..�4 d' �l� A� �� °�; .a� �,� ,�/ , '� � 4�� W � ,�� '% �, ��, �,Nr ,- ` '� ��µ"�� , .��.;*��",y�, , m , , { � ,�'��,� �` M 1 d `��. "+, ,�1I � �1' 4 x . / A � 41i 'r � �.�. , •� ., 1 C� RN� l i'' .. . . �y' �� _ µ . �:� � -. �� ...... ..�;', �� l .�'��+,�,�� Gii � �r; "�� '� . �� " �� p�,µ.;, .. � . �? + `. . ,�u �/��'° ` � - � '�,i�;"' ;� .n ��.� i r o � ///�a% 4� . x'�'�: v� �� h/�� r i �4 Pa i,, � lq �i�'�ryF � �� ;ar,�. � �rl�ilp� _ , r�� r � r', rr� ��iWj��'I l�1,��, ' �� , � ��yq� �� linic:;/Hevu.w�,n�,, ---. : : ..� !� � �� `�R��p . �'�� Above: This quarter-size diamondback terrapin is our only saltwater�� y�r�„��'�� ;�;�'�F � ��"P' turtle. In the spring the eggs are laid in the sand, where the sun � �� . �"''� � ""� �'"' � �.�, ��a-„� . ��+�, � warms and incubates them. The young hatch in the fall and winter ;" ��.�+'+► ` over in the mud of our creeks and bays. Right: Weakfish, once com- ti�^ �°� mon in our bays, are hard to come by today. Few fish can rival the �� ' � "� beauty of these glistening, silvery, speckled sea trout. � �� *-��'. �``` •'=�' THE LABOR DAY WEGKEND COUldit't - - — thE: wooC s ly lls have been better. It made you want to house.Since this is getting a little late �rs around,had to admil it stumped et out and ca ture the last da s of him.Later we went back and found g P Y for birds to nest,my curiosity was summer,so we called friends up and aroused.Barbara and I hopped in the the bird had moved to a lower branch in no time were all heading for my car in hope of seeing this late nester. and we were able to identify it as a son's boat for a day of fishing.As we When we arrived we found a f7imsy green heron.The same small,dark-col- moved along the dock,a green heron stick nest but no bird.After much �red heron with yellow legs that just flew off.It had been hunting along the searching we spotted one young flew away from the dock.Enough of water's edge for its daily meal of kil- perched in such a maze of leaves we this,let's go fishing. lies or shrimp. coulddt tell what it was.We all agreed We loaded the boat with all sorts of That reminded it must be a heron of some sort.Could gear and a hearty lunch and headed ��GV$ me of last week, it be a yellow-crowned night heron? out into the bay.Off to the south,we Qnj when Tom called '�ey often nest by themselves using a ��'ild see cormorants flying.At this from Southold stick nest.Occasionally I've found ti►ne of the year we often see great NATURE g them nesting here on the North Fork. strings of these large black birds about a lar e by Paui bird he had migrating south.They are often con- But this stumped us.Even my son, �t�llt�nblll'gh fouiid nesting in �,h��n �e of lhe best bird- fused with eese. Our boat took us leisurely along the shore past one of The Nature Conservancy's prize possessions, Meadow Beach.(Hard to imagine that at one time this untouched marsh was set up in 50-foot building lots.) In a sheltered spot along its shore were shorebirds feeding—black-bellied plovers,which once numbered in the thousands,and yellowlegs,with their distinctive long yellow legs and long g°e� �ng at mg t.With a bright light would have it for lunch.Wc'cl t�ikc it bills.Ti�ey flew off as we drew close, on them,they seem to change their back to the local school,which has a givin their characteristic alarm call color from green to blue to pink as saltwater aquarium. that to ot ers t ere were strangers they slip through the water. As we looked in the cup of water in the area.Then a willet flew up, Sometimes we see them under the we could see tiny transparent animals showing the white in its wings as it dis l�ghts down at the commercial dock in moving about.Upon closer examina- appeared around the bend.The most Greenport.Barbara and I once found tion,what we were seeing was just a numerous of all the shorebirds were a cluster of squid eggs just offshore in tiny sample of the marine life (plank- those world travelers,the turnstones, the Sound.It looked somewhat like a ton) that lives in our bay.In one scoop in their colorful brown,black and small mop with all the long fingers full of water there were four different white makeup. of squid eggs. kinds of these transparent"whatever Almost missed were the little sand- We could hardly give up our fishing they were,"some were an eighth of an pipers—the semipalmated and the long enough to eat lunch.How could inch across,with pulsating domes. least These are the smallest of all ou �t he so beautiful out here on the Others looked like spider crabs that shorebirds,about the size of a chick- Water?The breeze kept away the heat; were probatily no more than a quarter adee.These birds have just returned the sun had us wearing big-brimmed of an inch in size.What we were see- from tlie tundra,where they seldom hats,and the gentle rolling of the boat ing in just one cup of water gave us encounter man;therefore they're not 1d�ed to the enjoyment of the day. some idea of the enormous amount of afraid of people.The week before,we As we sat eating our lunch,a pere- marine life in our bays.It was mind- had been able to walk to within 10 gr�ne falcon flew by on its boggling.Nature always feet of these busy little shorebirds as 1ong,tapered wings.It � provides a surplus,know- they fed.It was a joy to see them Was headed for the south No sooner ing that predators of all again. side,where it would hunt Ita(1 I (J1'OppQ�I sorts will prey on young We tried fishing all around the bay for its meal of a mouse or and onl a few will make with nothing to show but a few unre- small bird.Here is a mY line over it through to maturity. warding nibbles.On our way out,I hawk that was on the the side than S Fishing over and stom- had suggested we stop at an old point of extinction but had a hit...� achs full,we headed favorite fishing spot of mine,buoy n��'has made a strong back.We passed a sandy No. 1 in Cutchogue Harbor.We did- comeback,mainly peninsula where royal' n't stop,as the day kept luring us on. because of the restrictions on t e use terns were resting.They are visitors We tried here and there,but no luck. of certain pesticides. from the south and evidently had What to do? Let's try back at buoy �en someone shouted,"There's a also found good fishing.These royal No. 1.Once there,we dropped the turtle!"Lo and behold,alongside the terns are as big as small gulls and are anchor and baited our lines with boat in the middle of the bay was a quite handsome,with their large strips of squid.This would be our last tiny turtle,swimtning as fast as it orange bills. chance. could.It was no bigger than a quarter. As we moved along my son did the No sooner had I dropped my line We just had to see it up close,so my messy work of cleaning the fish.Of over the side than I had a hit,and up n�mble son jumped into the boat we course,the gulls were there,hoping to came a small weakfish.There are few had pulled along and worked his way receive their share of the free meal fish that can rival the beauty of these to where the turtle was.He scooped it that was being tossed overboard. silvery,speckled fish with their spots uP�n a cup of water and brought it Most of the gulls waited while a big of orange and blue and green.It was back for us to see.It was a newly black-backed gull got his share first. not a keeper(must be 16 inches long), hatched diamondback terrapin.It still Very little was missed.Down went so over the side it went.From then on had a small part of its yolk sack heads,tails,skins and entrails,one the fishing was continuous,keeping attached,the sac that had given it life after the other,until we wondered my son busy baiting lines.Everyone through the summer as it developed in how this hog of a bird would even get was catching fish;not just weakfish the warm sands of one of our beaches. off the water. but nice-size snapper blues,porgies, Now ironic;a man in Mattituck had It was a super day,and one we'll all and even an occasional sand shark. called the day before telling us of remember for its bright sun,cool Our tough pieces of squid did their seven baby turtles that had come out breeze and,of course,the joy of fish- job luring in the fish,which seemed to of the sand and headed for the water. ing. be fighting harder and harder. W� were concerned the first seagull Remember,you can contact us by e- The unique squid is an important that happened to see this little critter mail at focusnat@optonline.net. part of our marine life.Occasionally we see small groups of them swim- ming in their effortless way when we