July 08, 1999 - Make way for these ducklings, tooJuly 8, 1999 • The Suffolk Times • 11 A
Make way for these ducklings, too
We have a small open toolshed out in our
garden. It has an assortment of tools (usually
not the one I need): wire, flowerpots, stakes,
etc., and an old lawn mower. The shed is bare-
ly big enough for the mower but it saves my
walking to the garage each time I want to use
it. Just last week I got the mower out to use
and as usual it didn't start with the first pull.
What did start off, leaping and bounding, was
a beautiful little deer mouse. It had built its
grassy nest up under'the
cowling of the motor
FOCUS with hopes of raising a
ON family there. The place
she had chosen was
NATURE predator proof, warm
by Paul and out of the rain. As it
Stoutenburgh bounded out after the
first pull of the motor, it
left a bit of its fur in its
hasty exit. What a rude awakening it must
have had. First the shaking and rumbling of
her newly built nest when I pulled the mower
out and then the whirling around as if in a cy-
clone when I tried to start it.
I wasn't sure how much of a nest it had
built, but I knew it must be substantial for
parts of it were thrown out on my first pull.
Seeing the little Briggs and Stratton motor is
air cooled, I knew I had to take the cowling
off and remove the nest, otherwise it would-
n't cool properly. When I finally did get the
cowling off, I found a handful of dried grass,
bits of paper and feathers the mouse had col-
lected to make its snug little abode. As I put
the mower back together I pondered how we
ourselves often make elaborate plans for this
or that only to have them brought to a
screeching halt by some unplanned event.
Speaking of events, there was one that hap- to
pened on the Main Street of Riverhead that
warrants mentioning. Remember a few weeks
ago I reported a lady calling in about a mallard S
duck that had built its nest in a flower bed
along the busy sidewalk in downtown
Riverhead? I couldn't believe it, so Barbara
and I went to where it was supposed to be and,
sure enough, at the base of the tree where
flowering plants had been put was this female
mallard sitting on her precious clutch of eggs.
Ninety -nine percent of the people who walked by
never noticed her. She blended in so well that it took
our concerted effort to spot her. Every once in a
while, if you were lucky, you'd catch her tiny black
eye blink that keyed you in to her location.
Ducklings on Main Street
Photos by Barbara Stoutenburgh
Can you believe that this
female mallard duck chose
build her nest here In one
of the flower beds along
downtown Riverhead's Main
treet? She not only nested
and hatched out her clutch
of eggs but successfully
maneuvered her brood to
Peconic River a block or
more away.
And now for the long- awaited event, the hatching
of her guarded eggs. They did hatch but how to get
them across the busy highway and into the river a
block or more away? I'm happy to report she, like a
true mother, escorted them down the hot pavement
to their watery home in the nearby Peconic River.
When I finally heard about this precarious nest site I
wouldn't have given them more than a 10 percent
chance of survival. How wrong I was. It just goes to
show that if you give wildlife half a chance they'll
make it. It's our job in this ever - growing world to
give them that chance.
Another report of hatching mallards came from a
lady in Southold who was curious about her family
of baby ducks that paraded in front of her patio.
Seems all looked like typical mallards but one
"bright yellow" one. "How come," she asks, "could
it be an albino ?" There's always that possibility, but
�n
the odds are against it. Albinism is most common in
robins and house sparrows but does occur occasion-
ally in some form or another in most species of
birds. Albinism can be total, in which case the eyes,
skin and feathers have no color at all, or partial,
where only certain parts of the bird are missing
color. Partial albinism is much more common. I
often get calls from readers who have seen birds
with white heads, white wings, or partially white
bodies or a combination of any of the above.
There's also the possibility that another species
of duck had laid its egg in her nest. This sometimes
occurs and would account for the "odd fellow" in the
clutch. The common white Pekin duck of Long
Island fame would probably be the intruder. Often,
not thinking, people buy "cute little ducks" at Easter
time for the children. Then when the little ducks
become big ducks they no longer carry their charm.
The solution some people find is to leave them off in
a nearby pond to fend for themselves. This usually
ends up in disaster, for the home- raised ducklings
seldom can handle the trials and tribulations of the
wild but then, there's always the exception. One of
them might have made it and could have been the
perpetrator who laid the egg in the mallard's nest
when she was off feeding, and so, the "odd fellow"
-� -_ __ -- -- _t -- -- -- --
�
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4 LYRIC Bird Seed at great prices (compare to anywhere)
Pre -Grand Opening hours are Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Cox Lane and Oregon Road, Cutchogue 734 -2096
h
amongst the regulars.
It does my heart good to see more and
more people becoming aware of the world
around them. Some just admire the wonder
and beauty they have found, others become
concerned about a baby robin on their front
lawn, or a hundred other events that go
unrecorded each day in this fascinating world
we live in. The reason I mention baby robins
is that it's the time of the year when I get nu-
merous calls about "What do I do with the
baby bird I've found ?" Most people are
afraid that a cat or some other predator will
get it or they think the mother bird has aban-
doned it. The first has merit but the latter is
very doubtful. When a mother does abandon
its young, it's usually for a good reason. The
young could be deformed or sickly and
nature has little time for the weak. This might
sound cruel to some but it's why the species
has survived through eons of time. Out there
survival of the fittest is the name of the game.
What to do with a baby bird stranded on your
lawn? Usually nothing. The mother bird has
not abandoned it. No, she's probably off feed-
ing her two or three other young and will
soon be back to feed it. If you are afraid that
a cat or some other predator might get it, pick
it up — it will do no harm — put it in a near
u. by bush or tree where it will be safe until the
mother returns. We
humans don't real-
ize it but mother
{�
and baby are incon-
stant contact with
tte each other through
their chirps and
calls.
Only in extreme
cases should we
ever attempt to
" keep and feed a
young baby bird or
�F u, animal. First and
foremost, we are
not usually willing
to accept the con-
tinual feeding
schedule that baby
birds require, and secondly, we often don't feed them
the correct menu they need. Of course, there's the
exception where a baby bird is fed and cared for
properly and grows to adulthood, but think of the
problems it faces when you set it free. It's used to
being hand fed and now it has to fend for itself. Out
there, there is no one to help it through the maze of
learning experiences so necessary for its survival.
There are trained and dedicated licensed rehabili-
tators in our area who mainly help injured wildlife
and I'm sure if you ask them what to do with that
baby bird you found on your front lawn, they would
say the same as I: "Leave it where you found it
unless it is in imminent danger and then only move it
to the nearest bush or tree."
The deadline for all
community news
is 5 p.m. EVERY FRIDAY.
Call 298 -3200 or fax 298 -3287.
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