Loading...
February 23, 2006 - A snowy story of survivali OA • The Suffolk Times • February 23, 2006 Suffolk Times photo by Barbara Stoutenburgh Left: This is our feeding station, seen through our picture window in the living room. In the foreground on the right is a heated birdbath and an old cedar limb for birds to land on. The two hanging tubes are full of sunflower seed; the larger squirrel -proof feeder on the left is filled with mixed seed. Below:This red - winged blackbird must have been asleep when all the rest head- ed south. Now you see it scratching in the snow for seeds that will help hold it over until spring. - Al Si III„Ik Iii, !r ii Iry', ,i,I Sl,n itnnburgh A snowy story of survival The sun had slipped away without being seen. Stillness crept through the woods. It seerned the world stood still — wait- ing. —Paul Stoutenburgh AND so IT WAS when Barbara and I spent most of the day preparing for the "Blizzard of '06." Being 300 feet off the road, we thought it wise to get some foodstuffs in, just in case. I'm sure many others thought the same, for the parking lot bustled with activity. Back home we put two bales of hay out for the cows. We checked the heated water supply for the chickens and filled their feeder tray to the top with pellets. The weather forecasters all predicted a real nor'easter that would batter us for one day and then be gone. We saw a few flakes in the morn- ing but nothing to speak of It was late afternoon when we could tell something big was coming, and sure enough, before we went to bed the wind had picked up and we could see about an inch of very fine snow on our patio. A shrew had already been out, busy working over the bricks on the patio, looking for some missed birdseed. Raised tunnels in the snow are the hallmark of this smaller -than- a -mouse ravenous feeder. Its tunnels remind me of the ground mole tun- nels that often crisscross our lawns and play such havoc in our gardens. Shrews are easy to identify, that is if they ever stop moving on their endless search for food. They have a pointed nose and a short tail. Their color is dark gray and they are fairly common but seldom seen. They often travel in mole tunnels, feeding on worms, insects, larvae, bugs, beetles, and just about anything that shows up in their never - ending quest for food. It should have found something under the snow, for all day long we kept a good supply of sunflower seed and wild birdseed scattered about in hopes it would help the small birds through the storm. There is a deadly problem when it comes to feeding birds, and that is you create a mecca for birds to congregate as they take advantage of the food you put out. This concentration of birds attracts hawks, and hawks often catch birds. I'm sure you've seen it when all the birds feeding suddenly take off in ON one big rush of wings. Most probably a hawk showed up at your feeder and every bird took off for safety. We witnessed this as we were watching the birds busy feeding as the snow came down. We never saw the hawk, but it scared all the birds in one big scramble of wings. In their excitement to get away, three or more hit our big picture window. The only reason we knew that something had gone wrong was that we could hear the birds hitting the window. When we first turned to where the birds had hit the window, all we could see were a few feathers floating in the air. There had to be some casualties. I was almost afraid to look, for I knew that with all that commotion there would be birds lying about on the patio. Sure enough, there were three sparrows lying there; one was quivering. I opened the door and picked up the quivering one. What to do? Back inside I looked for a place to put my victim. "Oh, this will do," I thought. A large, empty Crockpot with a clear glass cover was sitting on the counter. It would do perfectly as a resting place — I'd be able to look in and see how it was doing. I wasn't quite sure how Barbara felt about this use of her Crockpot I gently laid the bird down in its temporary new home. It was a house finch. The second one seemed to have made out better. When I picked it up, it moved its wings and struggled a bit. It was a white - throated sparrow, a sparrow from the north that spends its winter down here. It was moving in my hand and tried to fly. "What to do with this one?" The cat looked at me with gleeful eyes. "Let's see. How about the back porch ?" Once out the door, I slowly opened my hand and Focus NATURE by Paul Stoutenburgh The tree sparrow on the left is one of the unusual birds we see that has come to our feeding station to help itself to wild birdseed we have thrown out. Count yourself lucky if you see a rusty red - streaked fox sparrow like that pictured on the right. We usually get to see at least one of them during the winter. Suffolk Times photo by Paul Stoulenburgh then, without even a "thank you," it took off. It must have hit the window with a glancing blow and was only stunned. Two down and one to go. "Now where was that third bird ?" I looked and looked but found no trace of it. That was a good sign. It must have collected itself and taken off. We didn't see birds back on our patio for at least two hours, and then only a few returned. By dusk it seemed all were back, gleaning every nook and comer of the snow -swept patio. As for No. I in the Crockpot, it hadn't moved since I put it there. I'd wait a bit longer. Half an hour passed. It's got to have made it by now or it's dead.I quietly took the top off as Barbara opened the sliding door. I tapped the Crockpot to see if there was any life in there and, low and be- hold, it perked up and flew away. Now Barbara and I both felt better. All three unfortunates who had hit our window got off lucky; all would probably have a headache but they were alive and free. I only had one regret, and that was I would like to have had a colored band to put on their legs so I would know if they ever return to our feeder after their harrowing experience. By the why, do you know who the first bird bander was in this country? Audubon is credited as being the first to "ring" a bird when he fitted a spar- row with a silver band. Today the number of bird banders reaches into the thousands. All are regulated by federal and state laws. People of all occupations have taken up this scientific pursuit of bird band- ing. Exact records must be kept and forwarded to the proper agencies. It's through these dedicated banders that we get much of the information about bird migrations, the ups and downs in population changes, their behavior, life span and much, much more. This banding of birds is not only done here in the U.S. but is done worldwide. e Suffolk Times • February 23, 2006 stor snowy of survival W Suffolk Times photo by Barbara Stoutenburgh - Tne tree sparrow L'he sun had slipped away without on the left is one being seen. of the unusual Stillness crept through the woods. birds we see that It seemed the world stood still — wait - has come to our ing. feeding station to —Paul Stoutenburgl help itself to wild AND so IT WAS when Barbara and birdseed we have I spent most of the day preparing '06." i "u thrown out. Count for the "Blizzard of Being 300 a yourself lucky if feet off the road, we thought it wise you see a rusty to get some foodstuffs in, just in red - streaked fox case. I'm sure many others thought sparrow like that the same, for the parking lot bustled pictured on the with activity. right. We usually Back home we put two bales of get to see at least hay out for the cows. We checked the one of them during heated water supply for the chickens n the winter. and filled their feeder tray to the top with pellets. The weather forecasters Suffolk Times photo by all predicted a real nor'easter that Paul stoutenburgn would batter us for one day and then be none. Left: This is our feeding station, seen through our picture window in the living room. In the foreground on the right is a heated birdbath and an old cedar limb for birds to land on. The two hanging tubes are full of sunflower seed; the larger squirrel -proof feeder on the left is filled with mixed seed. Below:This red - winged blackbird must have been asleep when all the rest head- ed south. Now you see it scratching in the snow for seeds that will help hold it over until spring. Suffolk Times photo by Paul we saw a tew tlakes in the. morn- ing but nothing to speak of. It was late afternoon when we could tell something big was coming, and sure enough, before we went to bed the wind had picked up and we could see about an inch of very fine snow on our patio. A. shrew had already been out, busy working over the bricks on the patio, looking for some missed birdseed. Raised tunnels in the snow are the hallmark of this smaller -than a -mouse ravenous feeder. Its tunnels remind me of the ground mole tun- nels that often crisscross our lawns and play such havoc in our gardens. Shrews are easy to identify, that is if they ever stop moving on their endless search for food. They have a pointed nose and a short tail. Their color is dark gray and they are fairly common but seldom Seen: They often travel in mole tunnels, feeding on worms, insects, larvae, bugs, beetles, and just about anything that shows uF in their never - ending quest for food. It should have found something under the snow, for all day long we kept a good supply of sunflower seed and wild birdseed scattered about in hopes it would help the small birds through the storm. There is a deadly problem when it comes to feeding birds, and that is you create a mecca for birds to congregate as they take advantage of the food you put out. This concentration of birds attracts hawks, and hawks often catch birds. I'm sure you've seen it when all the birds feeding suddenly take off in one big rush of wings. Most probably a hawk showed up at your feeder and every bird took off for safety. We witnessed this as we were watching the birds busy feeding as the snow came down. We never saw the hawk, but it scared all the birds in one big scramble of wings. In their excitemen to get away, three or more hit our big picture window. The only reason we knew that something had gone wrong was that we could hear the birds hitting the window. When we first turned to where the birds had hit the window, all we could see were a few feathers floating in the air. There had to be some casualties. I was almost afraid to look, for I knew that with a& that commotion there would be birds lying about on the patio. Sure enough, there were three sparrows lying there; one was quivering. I opened the door and picked up the quivering one. What to do? Back inside I looked for a place to put my victim. "Oh, this will do," I thought. A large, empty Crockpot with a clear glass cover was sitting on the counter. It would do perfectly as a resting place ' I'd be able to look in and see how it was doing. I wasn't quite sure how Barbara felt about this use o er Crockpot. I gently laid the bird down in its temporary new home. It was a house finch. The second one seemed to have made out better. When I picked it up, it moved its wings and struggled a bit. It was a white - throated sparrow, a sparrow from the north that spends its winter down here. It was moving in my hand and tried to fly. "What to do with this one ?" The cat looked at me with gleeful eyes. "Let's see. How about the back porch ?" Once out the door, I slowly opened my hand and then, without even a "thank you," it took off. It must have hit the window with a glancing blow and was only stunned. Two down and one to go. "Now where was that third bird ?" I looked and looked but found no trace of it. That was a good sign. It must have collected itself and taken off. We didn't see birds back on our patio for at least two hours, and then only a few returned. By dusk it seemed all were back, gleaning every nook and corner of the snow -swept patio. As for No.1 in the Crockpot, it hadn't moved since I put it there. I'd wait a bit longer. Half an hour passed, It's got to have made it by now or it's dead. I quietly took the top off as Barbara opened the sliding door. I tapped the Crockpot to see if there was any life in there and, low and be- hold, it perked up and flew away. Now Barbara and I both felt better. All three unfortunates who had hit our window got off lucky; all would probably have a headache'but they were alive and free. I only had one regret, and that was I would like to have had a colored band to put on their legs so I would know if they ever return to our feeder after their harrowing experience. By the why, do you know who the first bird bander was in this country? Audubon is credited as being the first to "ring" a bird when he fitted a spar- row with a silver band. Today the number of bird banders reaches into the thousands. All are regulated by federal and state laws. People of all occupations have taken up this scientific pursuit of bird band ing. Exact records must be kept and forwarded to the proper agencies. It's through these dedicated banders that we get much of the information about bird migrations, the ups and downs in population changes, their behavior, life span and much, much more. This banding of birds is not only done here in the U.S. but is done worldwide. Us N IATU RE by Paul Stoutenburgh