Loading...
April 22, 1999 - These little owls go undergroundr- 6A • The Suffolk Times •April 22, 1999 Th ese little owls go underground I'm sitting in a modern home on one their well- adapted long legs. Their of the many manmade canals that lace burrows can be anywhere from four to Florida's west coast. Across the way is eight feet deep, the nest of feathers a typical single -story, white, cement- and dried grass being only large block, stucco house with its screened- enough for the six to eight white eggs. in pool off the back. It's in the Cape The entrances to their holes are nor - Coral area, where thousands of acres . mally "decorated" with are awaiting development. The area pieces of shells, sticks, has been cleared leaves, etc., but in de- of 99 percent of Focus veloped areas, they will its native habitat "decorate" with man - and now takes on ON made oddities such as the look of a flat, cigarette butts, bits of dry prairie. The NATURE plastic, foil, paper, etc. reason for this is by Pain The staked -out area that squadrons of Stoutenburgh that brought my atten- mowers rou- tion to these fascinating tinely go over it to keep any of the little owls was just one native stragglers from gaining a of many we later dis- foothold. Ironically, this has created a covered as we drove habitat that benefits certain wildlife around this booming - while completely eliminating others. real- estate area. Seems This advantage of clearing is short- a few years ago there lived, as development soon follows. was a group studying From where I sit I look around at burrowing owls that this manmade prairie with its straight, staked out the nesting blacktopped roads and overgrown sites throughout the storm drains and see weathered stakes marking a six-foot square of disturbed turf. Looking more closely I see some- thing sitting on one of the stakes. I get my binoculars out and focus on a small chunky bit of inquisitive fluff. The head turns toward me, revealing two bright - yellow eyes. This is a burrowing owl, one of Florida's "concerned species," a bird of prey. Because of the massive clearing - and- mowing campaign that produces these prairies, the Cape Coral penin- sula here in Lee County has the largest population of these long - legged little owls here in the state, perhaps upwards of 1,000 pairs. They stand about nine inches high (similar in size to our screech owl) and are buff brown in color. The amazing thing about these owls is that they are the only owls that live in burrows. They will occupy a manmade hole or an abandoned gopher tunnel or when they can't find a ready -made one, they'll excavate one of their own with ■ �. 4 to take our pictures. . Their habit of perching and looking is characteristic of many predators such as hawks and other owls. From these perches they can see and catch their prey such as dragonflies, lizards, take some but their greatest threat is the encroachment of new homes. What a paradox: Man creates the prairie -like habitat that encourages the burrowing owl to take up resi- dence, only to have that habitat change as development takes over, which it most surely does. New homes are sprouting up like mushrooms after a warm spring rain. Berries attract birds i•= A D I.rVVK 16AGK 75 years ago April 18, 1924 General store sells out: N. Goldin and Samuel Levine of Greenport have purchased the entire stock of gro- ceries and house furnishings in the general store of Goldsmith & Tuthill at Cutchogue. This business has been in the Goldsmith family for 87 years and is one of the oldest stores on Long Island. Mr. Goldsmith, who is 79 years of age, up to the time of selling the business has been able to take an active interest in the store. This brick store, which has been the general store of Cutchogue for many years, will be remodeled and used for the new Cutchogue Bank. Checking the crop: J.H. Chognelle, who manages the manufacture of the John Deere plow, is here this week to see how our farmers like the tools and get points if nec- essary. Mr. Hoover (not Herbert), who helps farmers dig potatoes, is also looking over the acreage of planted "spuds" to find if he has diggers enough to supply the possible demand. 50 years ago April 1522, 1949 Bowl for health: Our league season is over and our alleys may be reserved day or night by any group, society or club desirous of availing themselves of the opportuni- ty to participate in the healthful sport. Reservations may be made by calling Greenport 695. Schiavoni's Bowling Alleys, Front Street, Greenport. (Advertisement) Suffolk Times photo by Paul owls are the only owls that actually live at the around. They are one of our smallest can often be seen hunting during th .:md a wide variety of Insects. grasshoppers or even an occasional mouse. These owls are different from most other owls in that they are diur- nal; in other words, they hunt during the daylight hours as well as night. These little owls have few natural enemies. Cats and ingested pesticides Island mansion burns: The historic James Gerard man- sion on the old Nichols estate on Shelter Island was destroyed by a fire that swept over 2,700 acres of woodland before it was brought under control on Tuesday night. The 15 -room mansion was owned by James Gerard, former U.S. ambassador to Germany at the start of World War I, and situated on 3,000 acres recently purchased by the Gerard Development Co. Part of the building is said to be more than 200 years old and was the second house to be built on Shelter Island.... [The mansion] has been vacant for 14 years and has a local reputation for being a haunted house. 25 years ago April 18, 1974 Soaring farmland prices predicted: No, he had not been drinking, Suffolk County Executive John Klein told the Southold Town Republican Club meeting last Thursday. But, wild though it sounded, he was ready to predict that in years to come the value of farmland would soar to three or four times that of any other land use. "I wouldn't be surprised to see farmland at $20,000 an acre in the next 20 years. There is going to be an insa- tiable market for agricultural produce on the island," said the County Executive, whose plan for saving East End farmlands is now before the County Legislature. ... By it, farmers would sell part of their interest in the land, that is, the development rights, but they would con- tinue to own the land and farm it. Pet adoption day Kent Animal Shelter will host "pet adoption day" April 24, from noon to 4 p.m. at the pet de- partment of Middle Island WaI- mart on Route 25. Adoption fees are $65 for puppies, which in- cludes spaying or neutering at the age of 6 months, and $55 for kit- tens, including spaying or neuter- ing Raffles and giveaways are in- cluded. Walmart will give a free leash and collar with any adoption.