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Januar 04, 2007 - When a wren wants to roostThe Suffolk Times • January 4, 2007 • 35 When a wren wants to roost We saw the giver of all life, the sun, on its shortest day of the year on Dec. 21. No wonder my chickens had stopped laying their golden eggs. Some growers put lights in their chicken house to make the chickens think the days are longer than they really are. The result is more eggs I often speak of the Carolina wren, that little brown bird that is always busy flitting about and has such a cheery call throughout the FOCUS winter. We of- ten see it in the winter months NATURE as one of the few birds that by Paul call during these Stoutenburgh short, dreary days I had an interesting expe- rience last evening with one of these wrens that hangs around our place. I was doing something just outside the garage door, where I had put up a bird box. I thought nothing of it until I heard "Carolina, me with a continual line of wren chatter that I couldn't ignore. What was all its fuss- ing about? Then I realized it was getting dark and she wanted to go to bed in that little bird box I'd nailed to the side of the garage. How she scolded me! Being partial to birds, I took what I was doing a good distance away and stopped and watched. With a last burst of scolding, she flew to a nearby bush and then dis- appeared into the birdhouse. This was her night quarters Thinking back, I realized each bird we see during the daytime — be it a chickadee, a wren, or the aggressive starling, or even a flock of birds, etc. — has its favorite roosting spot. At this time of the year starlings and grackles (those long- tailed black birds) travel in groups I'm sure you've seen flocks of them feeding together. The ground is literally covered with the probing bills of these efficient scavengers They'll eat almost anything. They not only feed together, they sleep together in their own special group. Usually Left: This little wren is always busy searching out new sources of food. I see it under the picnic table, In the woodplle and in just about every nook and cranny. When it's time to retire in the evening, It looks for a protected place like a birdhouse or wood shed to sleep away the night. Right: Outside our bedroom window I put a bird box and each cold winter morning, just as it's getting light, a house sparrow that's spent the night there looks around to make sure it's safe before it comes out for the day. they'll find a phragmites marsh (the tall plume grass that invades much of our wetlands) and there deep inside, in the protection of those tall reeds, they sleep away the night. Some of these flocks of starlings run in the thousands of birds I can remem- ber years ago when I was involved in the Christmas Bird Count over in the Moriches area, I saw starlings fly out of a phragmites island at early light in such numbers that they looked like some great swirling mass of smoke. In those days they were heading to the duck farms that lined the shores there, where they would feed on the food put out for the ducks It was quite a problem for the duck growers, for with thousands of these birds robbing the ducks' food, it cost the grower extra dollars, thereby making less profit. This is basically the same problem our grape growers have today. They have partially solved the problem by put- ting netting over their grapes to keep Here is my old International Cub tractor that was bought at one of the farm- ers' auctions in Riverhead years ago. The auction block was once the scene of truckloads of cauliflower that were auctioned off for the markets in New York City. the birds away. But one has to admit, starlings boggle the nand when you watch them fly in tight flocks How they can move as one mass, weaving and diving as one tight unit and not bumping into each other, is something short of a miracle. With the short, dark cold days of winter most of our pasture doesn't grow and what little does manage to put out some growth where it's pro- tected gets nibbled short by the cows, and so we have to supplement their diet with hay. Our cows hardly ever go into the shelter of the barn. They are outdoor animals and their new thick coat tells us they are well insulated from the cold. As a matter of fact, when we have a snowfall the cows will be covered just like the ground, with a layer of snow that keeps them warm. It is interesting to note that when spring arrives with its warm- er weather they will often shed their winter robe by rubbing against the side of a tree or some man -made structure. Later some of it will be used by our feathered friends for nest material. On a different note, I still have to winterize my Cub tractor with anti- freeze and make sure the battery is fully charged. It's been a great little tractor. I acquired it at the farmers' auction that was held at the cauliflower auction block on Old Country Road, west of Riverhead. That area was the scene years ago of truckloads of cauliflower that were auctioned off to the highest bidder during the season. During the winter months, when farm- ing stood still, the auction would draw people from all over the island. It was an all -day affair where often you'd bump into friends, some buying, some just looking. You could bid on anything from trucks, tractors and irrigation pipes, to used washing machines, lawn mowers, even chickens and geese and other livestock. I even bought two stainless -steel rails for my boat there. I'm not sure if that type of auc- tion is still held today, for that area of Riverhead has become an entirely different scene than it was years ago. In those years when that area was not built up yet, Barbara and I would take our lunch hour and drive to a pond just a short way north of Old Country Road. Here I would try my luck at fish - ing. Today east and west of that kettle hole pond where I fished is completely changed.'rhe pond was filled and in its place are commercial buildings Such is the world we live in. We are still using our wood stove. I often hear people say, "Oh, I'd love to have a wood stove." They don't real - ize how much work is involved and to make it economical you need a good, cheap supply of wood. Luckily we have enough wood. The only trouble with it is first it has to be cut, brought into the porch, where it has to be covered over from the weather, and then finally brought into the house. And wood stoves create extra work by putting dust in the air. One last thing about wood for your wood stove. If you can get your wood near a source of electricity, use an electric chain saw. I have a small one and it works as well or better than its gasoline counterpart. I even like the idea of taking a small generator into the woods so I can use my electric chain saw. We have a Lange Svendborg Scan- dia wood stove we've had since 1977. It has an oven on one side where we make all kinds of goodies Just yester- day I put two large apples in to bake and they came out great. Baked ap- ples with a bit of cream make a pretty good dessert. Starlings boggle the mind when you watch them fly in tight flocks. Catch Paul Stoutenburgh every week in TIMES /REVIEW NEWSPAPERS.