Loading...
July 20, 2006 - The eagle has landedThe Suffolk Times • July 20, 2006 • 13A The eagle has landed WE HAD BEEN TOLD there was an im- mature eagle at the marina in Orient, feeding on fish carcasses We decided to go down even though it had poured rain overnight and things would be a bit wet. With camera, binoculars and a traveling container of coffee, we soon pulled into the marina. We had hoped to see the eagle, but, like so many things, "Now you see it, now you don't." Could it be the heavy downpour had done it in? FOCUS Discouraged, ON we headed to the restaurant NATURE to talk with the owner, Bob by Paul Haas, who had Stoutenburgh seen the eagle. Friends of his who were at the restaurant immediately pointed out the window and said, "There it is! It's on top of the rock pile!" Bob and his wife, who live at the marina, were all excited about the eagle, for they first saw it when it perched on the railing of their upper deck. What a sight it must have been when they opened the door to the deck and there to greet them was a huge, blackish bird with a big hooked bill a mere six feet away. We looked where everyone was pointing, and there — atop a pile of rocks apparently intended to stop ero- sion from eating away at the shore of the entrance to Orient Beach State Park — was the eagle. I looked at it through my binoculars, and it was the saddest - looking bald eagle you've ever seen. It looked as if it had just come out of the wash, its wings hanging down on each side fike a pair of wet blankets Its head had half its feathers standing on end, the other half plas- tered down, making the whole body look smaller than usual. It was a sad picture, but one Barbara had to take for the record, no matter what condition the eagle was in. As we We spotted this mature bald eagle on a winter's ride with friends along one of the tributaries of the Delaware Riv- er. Most rivers that don't freeze over are good fishing grounds for eagles during the cold spells of winter. _ Ulf _ JX �tv�.r • � Suffolk Times photos by Barbara and Paul Stoutenburgh When we first saw this Immature bald eagle out In Orient (left), it had poured rain during the night. The eagle was a sorry sight as it looked forward to a sunny day. We later found our eagle again, after It had dried out and looked more like the regal bird it Is (right). As It's probably this year's bird, it won't have Its characteristic white head and tall for five years. chatted with the people at the marina, they told us how it was living off dis- carded fish carcasses This feeding is typical of eagles, which salvage meals of fish, dead or alive. The next day we had a call from Sue Wachter, manager of the park, telling us a big eagle was in a tree near the park's toll booth and asking if we would be inter- ested in seeing it. Of course we were, but we'd have to wait until the next morning to check it out. We were at the park entrance at 7:30 a.m. the next day — no eagle. We tried next door at the marina — still no eagle. We decided to try later in the day, after we had taken care of some obli- gations in Greenport. We were back at the marina about 11 a.m. and, to our delight, what did we see but our eagle, sitting atop a dead pine tree. It looked 100% better than the last time we had seen it. Its feathers were now dry and all appeared in good shape and in their proper places, but well never for- get that sorry- looking wet eagle we'd seen earlier. Knowing we don't have nesting bald eagles around here, we decided to see what we could find out about where this eagle might have come from. We called the State Department of En- vironmental Conservation in Albany and got hold of Pete Nye, director of the endangered species unit. We asked him where he thought the Orient eagle might have come from. He told us that, since we have no nesting eagles on Long Island, it could have come from New Jersey, upstate New York or Connecticut. There are nesting eagles in Connecticut, just across the Sound from us, and it could have been one of this year's birds that had wandered south to our shore. When the DEC first started to rein- troduce eagles into New York back in 1976, there were no eagles nesting any- where in the state. Then, over a 13 -year period, Nye's program released 198 young, nesting bald eagles that were collected from other places (mostly Alaska), transported to New York and released. By 1989, there were 10 pairs of our national sym- bol nesting in our state. The good news is they have in- creased in num- bers each year by 10% to 15 %, and this year there are 100 pairs of bald eagles nesting throughout the state. From those 100 pairs, 120 young have fledged. (The word "fledged" means the young birds have grown strong enough to fly from the nest.) Yet, with all this good news, we still don't have any eagles nesting on Long Island, though eagles are oc- casionally seen here. We get reports throughout the winter of them trav- Don't feed the bird! Remember to enjoy the eagle, but keep a respectable distance from it. Remember, we shouldn't feed wildlife. The eagle is getting what it needs from fish carcasses. may your life be crowded with unexpected joys eling through our area. Mature bald eagles, with their white heads and white tails, are easy to identify. The female is usually about one -third larger than the male. Besides feeding off dead fish and such, the bald eagle often catches its meal by swoop- ing down on some unsuspecting fish and snatching it out of the water before the unlucky fish knows what happened. This mode of fishing is different from the fishing habit of the osprey, which actually dives into the water, feet out- stretched, in hope of catching its next meal. I once watched an eagle chase an osprey over Hallocks Bay in Orient until the osprey was forced to give up its freshly caught fish, which the eagle quickly snatched out of the air. Eagles five to a ripe old age once they learn the rudiments of fishing and self - preservation. Many live 30 years or more. Eagles mate for life and use the same nest year after year, often building it up to over six feet in height Thanks to the DEC and Pete Nye's successful program, New York State is once again home to our national sym- bol, the bald eagle. Great Cards! ,ET's Dream Where Every Day Is Earth Day. Open Late Yoya Gear The Suffolk Times • July 20, 2006 he e gle has landed7 Suffolk Times photos by Barbara and Paul Stoutenburgh When we first saw this immature bald eagle out in Orient (left), it had poured rain during the night. The eagle was a sorry sight as it looked forward to a sunny day. We later found our eagle again, after it had dried out and looked more like the regal bird it is (right). As it's probably this year's bird, it won't have its characteristic white head and tail for five years. WE HAD BEEN TOLD there was an im- mature eagle at the marina in Orient, feeding on fish carcasses. We decided to go down even though it had poured rain overnight and things would be a bit wet. With camera, binoculars and a traveling container of coffee, we soon pulled into the marina. We had hoped to see the eagle, but, like so many things, "Now you see it, now you don't." Could it be the heavy downpour had done it in? Focus Discouraged, we headed to ON the restaurant NATURE to talk with the owner, Bob by Paul Haas, who had StOutenburgh seen the eagle. Friends of his restaurant immediately pointed out the window and said, "There it is! It's on top of the rock pile!" Bob and his wife, who live at the marina, were all excited about the eagle, for they first saw it when it perched on the railing of their upper deck. What a sight it must have been when they opened the door to the deck and there to greet them was a huge, blackish bird with a big hooked bill a mere six feet away. We looked where everyone was pointing, and there — atop a pile of rocks apparently intended to stop ero- sion from eating away at the shore of the entrance to Orient Beach State Park — was the eagle. I looked-at it through my binoculars, and it was the saddest - looking bald eagle you've ever seen. It looked as if it had just come out of the wash, its wings hanging i � a t " s r Suffolk Times photos by Barbara and Paul Stoutenburgh When we first saw this immature bald eagle out in Orient (left), it had poured rain during the night. The eagle was a sorry sight as it looked forward to a sunny day. We later found our eagle again, after it had dried out and looked more like the regal bird it is (right). As it's probably this year's bird, it won't have its characteristic white head and tail for five years. WE HAD BEEN TOLD there was an im- mature eagle at the marina in Orient, feeding on fish carcasses. We decided to go down even though it had poured rain overnight and things would be a bit wet. With camera, binoculars and a traveling container of coffee, we soon pulled into the marina. We had hoped to see the eagle, but, like so many things, "Now you see it, now you don't." Could it be the heavy downpour had done it in? Focus Discouraged, we headed to ON the restaurant NATURE to talk with the owner, Bob by Paul Haas, who had StOutenburgh seen the eagle. Friends of his restaurant immediately pointed out the window and said, "There it is! It's on top of the rock pile!" Bob and his wife, who live at the marina, were all excited about the eagle, for they first saw it when it perched on the railing of their upper deck. What a sight it must have been when they opened the door to the deck and there to greet them was a huge, blackish bird with a big hooked bill a mere six feet away. We looked where everyone was pointing, and there — atop a pile of rocks apparently intended to stop ero- sion from eating away at the shore of the entrance to Orient Beach State Park — was the eagle. I looked-at it through my binoculars, and it was the saddest - looking bald eagle you've ever seen. It looked as if it had just come out of the wash, its wings hanging down on each sine nxe a pair or wet blankets. Its head had half its feathers standing on end, the other half plas- tered down, making the whole body look smaller than usual. It was a sad picture, but one Barbara had to take for the record, no matter what condition the eagle was in. As we We spotted this mature bald eagle on a winter's ride with friends along one of the tributaries of the Delaware Riv- er. Most rivers that don't freeze over are good fishing grounds for eagles during the cold spells of winter. Don't feed the bird! Remember to enjoy the eagle, but keep a respectable distance from it. Remember, we shouldn't feed wildlife. The eagle is getting what it needs from fish carcasses. chatted with the people at the marina they told us how it was living off dis- carded fish carcasses. This feeding is typical of eagles, which salvage meals Of fish, dead or alive. 'The next day we had a call from Sue Wuehler, manager of the park, telling us a big eagle s in a tree near the park's toll booth and asking if we would be inter- ested in seeing it. Of course we were, but we'd have to wait until the next morning to check it out. We were at the park entrance at 7:30 a.m. the next day — no eagle. We tried next door at the marina — still no eagle. We decided to try later in the day, after we had taken care of some obli- gations in Greenport. We were back at the marina about 11 a.m. and, to our delight., what did we see but our eagle, sitting atop a dead pine tree. It looked 100% better than the last time we had seen it. Its feathers were now dry and all appeared in good shape and in their proper places, but we'll never for get that sorry- looking wet eagle we'd seen earlier. Knowing we don't have nesting bald eagles around here, we decided to see what we could find out about where this eagle might have come from. We called the State Department of En- vironmental Conservation in Albany and got hold of Pete Nye, director of the endangered species unit. We asked him where he thought the Orient eagle might have come from. He told us that, since we have no nesting eagles on Long Island, it could have come from New Jersey, upstate New York or Connecticut. There are nesting eagles in Connecticut, just across the Sound from us, and it could have been one of this year's birds that had wandered South to our shore. When the DEC first started to rein- troduce eagles into New York back in 1976, there were no eagles nesting any- where in the state. Then, over a 13 -year period, Nye's program released 198 young, nesting bald eagles that were collected from other places (mostly Alaska), transported to New York and released. By 1989, there were 10 pairs of our national sym- bol nesting in our state. The good news is they have in- creased in num- bers each year by 10% to 15 %, and this year there are 100 pairs of bald eagles nesting throughout the state. From those 100 pairs, 120 young have fledged. (The word "fledged" means the young birds have grown strong enough to fly from the nest.) Yet, with all this good news, we still don't have any eagles nesting on Long Island, though eagles are oc- casionally seen here. We get reports throughout the winter of them trav- eling through our area. Mature bald eagles, with their white heads and white tails, are easy to identify. The female is usually about one -third larger than the male. Besides feeding Qff dead fish and such, the bald eagle often catches its meal by swoop- ing down on some unsuspecting fish and snatching it out of the water before the unlucky fish knows what happened. This mode of fishing is different from the fishing habit of the osprey, which actually dives into the water, feet out- stretched, in hope of catching its next meal. I once watched an eagle chase an osprey over Hallocks Bay in Orient until the osprey was forced to give up its freshly caught fish, which the eagle quickly snatched out of the air. Eagles live to a ripe old age once they learn the rudiments of fishing and Self-preservation. Many live 30 years or more. Eagles mate for life and use the same nest year after year, often building it up to over six feet in height. Thanks to the DEC and Pete Nye's successful program, New York State is once again home to our national s, bol, the bald eagle_