Loading...
June 23, 2005 - The return of the ternsThe Suffolk Times • June 23, 2005 • 11 A The return of the terns YEMEeoAY MY DAUGHTER called to say there was a nice group of least terns that looked like they were try- ing to reestablish themselves on the causeway. Recently we'd been watch- ing them and were hoping they'd come to the area marked off for them Inside this nesting area was a specially wired enclosure so that raccoons, cats and dogs couldn't get in but small terns and ��. plovers could. FOCUS We had seen the endangered ON piping plover's nest there earlier NATURE but, sorry to say, we had one of by Paul those high, high Stoutenburgh tides with the wind out of the east for a couple of days and we think the combination did the nest in. We think that weather also discouraged the least terns from nesting earlier. But now the terns have come back. Maybe they're going to try again. With that in mind, we thought it might be fun to go down and see what was re- ally going on. So we quickly put a din - ner together to eat at the beach while watching the terns. It turned out to be the best seat in the house. It was a beautiful day, a bit muggy but very beautiful. The wind had de- cided to give up, leaving the bay calm with only a slight ripple. Not a boat in sight down the beach, but there were a few families taking advantage of the day. The kids were in the water even though it was still a bit cool. The beach had been built up by dredge spoil, the material having been pumped out to make channels. It's a barren area, with only a few golden- rod plants here and there. They are just about a foot high now but by fall they'll be two to three feet tall, with big clusters of yellow flowers that we hope if you will entice the mon- have a arch butterflies to stop by on their long frog or journey south. What toad they'll be looking for in your is the nectar hidden deep inside the gold- garden, en flower heads count These least terns are amazing to yourself watch. They often lucky. call amongst them- selves while dipping and chasing each other and diving on any resting terns at the water's edge. Their distinct call of "kip- kip -kip" lets you know some- thing's up. There was one persistent tern that had a spearing (small fish) in its bill. The fish was about 21/2 inches long This particular tern was trying to en- tice his lady fair with the prize he had caught, but she wanted no part of it. She just squatted there on the beach as he waved the spearing in front of her. Actually on occasion he'd hit her in the head with his gift, but she still paid no attention to him or his fish. She wasn't going to be bribed into courtship, so he finally flew away and left her there. Such is the love life of a leasttern. We were glad to see one piping plo- ver on the beach and, believe it or not, it went right into the enclosure that crown and yellow bill and feet, can be seen this time of year diving for fish and nesting along our shores — often along with the piping plovers. Their nesting areas have been enclosed to protect them during their nesting period. *745 3 40 When humans go courting, oftentimes a present such as a box of candy Is used to gain the good graces of the female. In a tern's world courting runs along the same lines. Here a male tern has brought his 'box of candy' In the form of a small fish. The only trouble Is that the lady fair is not ready for any courtship right now. was built for it and settled down. For all the world it looked to us like it was sitting on eggs, but we couldn't see any even though we had binoculars It was an extremely warm day, which permit- ted the plover every once in a while to go down to the water's edge, possibly get a drink or maybe find food. Then it would come running back in and settle down at the same place again. We're in hopes it's the same plover that lost its nest in the high tide and is renesting. I'm sure some people can't un- derstand what the fuss about piping plovers is all about. We must remem- ber these birds were here a long time before we were and so I think they have rights Hopefully man and bird can work together. Roping off a part of a beach is one way of trying to help these little sparrow -size shore birds make it. They come all the way from the Caribbean, Central America and South America, where they've spent the winter. Now that they're here, all they ask is a place on a sandy beach to raise their young I had a call from my son with an unusual story to tell. He was driv- ing down one of our side roads and right in the middle of the road was a huge frog — or was it a toad? I wanted to see it myself so he put it in a garbage pail with a little moisture, because frogs and toads don't like to get dried out. Frogs usually live close to a source of water and they don't wander away from the pond or lake or whatever, whereas the toad is more a wanderer and often finds it necessary to look for moisture. They don't drink tike a cat or dog does; they absorb moisture through their skin, and so when it gets really dry, the toad has the choice of burrowing a little deeper and sleeping until it rains, or traveling to a new place where it can find a new source of moisture. When we went over to take a look at it, I lifted off the top and imme- diately this frog jumped up, and if I hadn't had the cover in my hand ready to cover it he would have cleared the top with no trouble at all. So we are quite sure it is a frog. Frogs have more powerful hind legs for jumping than toads do. Toads just hop around and don't jump, so that was one indicator that it was a frog. The color was sort of brownish. Frogs and toads can change their color. My "Frog Book" by Dickerson says frogs are more likely than toads to be brown. But no matter whether it was a frog or a toad, either is a great little animal to have around. Most people are squeamish about picking things up, par- ticularly a toad, On occasion because if you he'd hit her pick it up it wets on you. That's the In the head ultimate shocker, With his and yet it does no harm. It's the gift, but she toad's way of pro- Still paid no tecting itself when attention to it is in danger - Let's say a dog him. or raccoon picks up a toad — the toad gives off this distasteful liquid. It's dropped im- mediately and the toad, a bit shaken, hops away. These are wonderful tittle friends to have around because they eat nothing but insects, the things we don't like — the flies, mosquitoes, and even the slimy culprit that comes out at night to feast on your garden plants. You can tell slugs have been out, for they leave a ribbon of slime where they've been. There was a case where a lady liter- ally had her plants eaten to shreds by slugs. She heard that toads would get rid of them so she ordered 25 or 30 of them and put them in her garden and by the end of the summer there wasn't a slug left. Anything that will tackle a slug, my hat's off to. So if you have a frog or toad in your garden, count yourself lucky, for like so many things we used to have, they're becoming harder and harder to find in today's world. CLAIM - I'm very friendly and currently in foster are, but I would really love to have a forever home. MANSE IS JUST ONE OF OVER A MOS AND WW HERE - PHASE FEED. FREE TO ML THE tNRTER 11 INQUIRE (CALL 7(65-1811 The Suffolk Times • June 23, 2005 of t YESTERDAY MY DAUGHTER called to say there was a nice group of least terns that looked like they were try- ing to reestablish themselves on the causeway. Recently we'd been watch- ing them and were hoping they'd come to the area marked off for them. Inside this nesting area was a specially wired enclosure so that raccoons, cats and dogs couldn't get in but small terns and plovers could. FOCUS We had seen the endangered ON piping plover's nest there earlier NATURE but, sorry to say, by Paul we had one of those high, high Stoutenburgh tides with the wind out of the east for a couple of days and we think the combination did the nest in. We think that weather also discouraged the least terns from nesting earlier. But now the terns have come back. Maybe they're going to try again. With that in mind, we thought it might be fun to, go down and see what was re- ally going on. So we quickly put a din- ner together to eat at the beach while watching the terns. It turned out to be the best seat in the house. It was a beautiful day, a bit muggy but very beautiful. The wind had de- cided to give up, leaving the bay calm with only a slight ripple. Not a boat in sight down the beach, but there were a few families taking advantage of the day. The kids were in the water even_ though it was still a bit cool. The beach had been built up by dredge spoil, the material having been pumped out to make channels. It's a barren area, with only a few golden- rod plants here and there. They are just about a foot high now but by fall they'll be two to three feet tall, with -V rn o� Suffolk Times photos by Paul Stoutenburgh This beautiful little least tern, with a white forehead contrasting with a black crown and yellow bill and feet, can be seen this time of year diving for fish and nesting along our shores — often along with the piping plovers. Their nesting areas have been enclosed to protect them during their nesting nerind_ big clusters of yellow flowers that we hope If you will entice the mon- have a arch butterflies to stop by on their long frog or journey south. What toad they'll be looking for is the nectar hidden in your deep inside the gold- garden, en flower heads. Count These least terns are amazing to_ yourself watch. They often lucky, call amongst them- selves while dipping and chasing each other and diving on any resting terns at the water's edge. Their distinct call of "kip- kip -kip" lets you know some- There was one persistent tern that had a spearing (small fish) in its bill. The fish was about 21/2 inches long. This particular tern was trying to en- tice his lady fair with the prize he had caught, but she wanted no part of it. She just squatted there on the beach as he waved the spearing in front of her. Actually on occasion he'd hit her in the head with his gift, but she still paid no attention to him or his fish. She wasn't going to be bribed into courtship, so he finally flew away and left her there. Such is the love life of a least tem. We were glad to see one piping plo- ver on the beach and, believe it or not, it went right into the enclosure that was built for it and settled down. For all the world it looked to us like it was sitting on eggs, but we couldn't see any even though we had binoculars. It was an extremely warm day, which permit- ted the plover every once in a while to go down to the water's edge, possibly get a drink or maybe find food. Then it would come running back in and settle down at the same place again. We're in hopes it's the same plover that lost its nest in the high tide and is renesting. I'm sure some people can't un- derstand what the fuss about piping plovers is all about. We must remem- ber these birds were here a long time before we were and so I think they have rights. Hopefully man and bird can work together. Roping off a part of a beach is one way of trying to help these little sparrow -size shore birds make it. They come all the wav from e Caribbean, Central America and South America, where they've spent the winter. Now that they're here, all they ask is a place on a sandy beach to raise their young. I had a can from my son with an unusual story to tell. He was driv- ing down one of our side roads and right in the middle of the road was a huge frog — or was it a toad? I wanted to see it myself so he put it in a garbage pail with a little moisture, because frogs and toads don't like to get dried out. Frogs usually live close to a source of water and they don't wander away from the pond or lake of whatever, whereas the toad is more a wanderer and often finds it necessary to look for moisture. They don't drink like a cat or dog does; they absorb moisture through their skin, and so when it gets really dry, the toad has the choice of burrowing a little deeper and sleeping until it rains, or traveling to a new place where it can find a new source of moisture. When we went over to take a look at it, I lifted off the top and imme- diately this frog jumped-up, and if I hadn't had the cover in my hand ready to cover it he would have cleared the top with no trouble at all. So we are quite sure it is a frog. Frogs have more powerful hind legs for jumping than toads do. Toads just hop around and don't jump, so that was one indicator that it was a frog. The color was sort of brownish. Frogs and toads can change their color. My "Frog Book" by Dickerson says frogs are more likely than toads to be brown. But no matter whether was a frog or a toad, either is a great little animal to have around. Most people are squeamish about picking things up, par- ticularly a toad, On occasion because if you he'd hit her pick it up it wets on you. That's the in the head ultimate shocker, With his and yet it does no harm. It's the gift, but she toad's way of pro- still paid no tecting itself when attention to it is in danger. Let's say a dog him. or raccoon picks up a toad — the toad gives off this distasteful liquid. It's dropped im- mediately and the toad, a bit shaken, 1.4 . 'These are wonderful little friends to have around because they eat nothing but insects, the things we don't like — the flies, mosquitoes, and even the slimy culprit that comes out at night to feast on your garden plants. You can tell slugs have been out, for they leave a ribbon of slime where they've been. There was a case where a lady liter- ally had her plants eaten to shreds by slugs. She heard that toads would get rid of them so she ordered 25 or 30 of them and put them in her garden and by the end of the summer there wasn't a slug left. Anything that will tackle a slug, my hat's off to. So if you have a frog or toad in your garden, count yourself lucky, for like so many things we used to have, they're becoming harder and harder to find in today's world. _. „ ilia", When humans go courting, oftentimes a present such as a box of candy is used to gain the good graces of the female. In a tern's world courting runs along the same lines. Here a male tern has brought his `box of candy' in the form of a small fish. The only trouble is that the lady fair is not ready for any courtship right now.