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December 18, 2004 - Christmas in the fieldThe Suffolk Times I Christmas in the field Top Stories Business Obituaries Police Reports Sports News Tips Editorials Columns Letters to the Editor Email us Subscribe Now Classifieds Service Directory Back Issues Digital Edition Community News Calendar Dining Health Real Estate East End Links Site Help The Suffolk Times Staff Roster Rate Card The News - Review Page 1 of 3 he el$uffolh iffits* Official Newspaper of Southold Town Christmas in the field Saturday °ea Focus on Nature: Holiday bird counts a tradition By Paul Stoutenburgh With this years Christmas Bird Count right around the comer, we thought a would be interesting to take you back to when it first started_ !n 1900. Frank Chapman. editor of Bird - Lore magazine, wrote: "Pt is not many A lesser yellowlegs. one of a species that years ago that sportsmen were might be found on the annual Christmas accustomed to meet on Christmas Day. Bird Count. 'choose sides' and then. as Times/Review photo by Paul representatives of the two bands Stoutenburgh resulting, hie them to the fields and woods on the cheerful mission of killing practically everything in fur or feathers that crossed their path — if they could___ Now. Bird -Lore proposes a new kind of Christmas side hunt_ in the form of a Christmas bird-census- and we hope that all our readers who have the opportunity will aid us in making it a success by spending a portion of Christmas Day with the birds and sending a report of their 'hunt' to Bird - Lore before they retire that night_" (Roy Latham was one of those who responded to this request in 1900) From that small beginning. Christmas bird counts have become exceedingly popular activities. involving thousands of people_ As it grew, the Christmas Bird Count became more formalized, with various rules being set, such as 15-mile - diameter circles, minimum 8 -hour counts, count periods, and tallies of party hours and party miles of effort. There are a number of counts around our area. including the Montauk - Gardiners Island Count_ Water Mill Count, Central Suffolk Count and the Orient Count on the North Fork. which includes Shelter Island. (See separate listing for details of area bird counts_) The Orient count is one of the oldest in the nation, having been started by Roy Latham. Long Islands famous naturalist_ Its efforts of people like Roy Latham, whose early records were carefully documented_ that give meaning to this generation's efforts. for without their records. what we find today would be meaningless. Shelter Island In going over our old files, we found a 1978 article called "It's All for the Birds'" from Reporter the environment section of Time magazine_ It was written by a man who joined our group to take part in the count at Orient and this is what he had to say- The North Shore Sun "The frostbitten early - moming exercise on Long Island was only a small part of an annual ritual that is literally for the birds. Every holiday season for the past 78 years The Wine Press bird lovers have flocked to woods and parkland, marshes and meadow to participate in the National Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count_ The object is to identify and tally as many varieties and numbers of birds as possible on a given day. "With the figures the volunteers provide. ornithologists are able not only to check the health and vigor of different avian species but also to detect changes in their habitats. set up wildlife sanctuaries and even help airlines reroute their planes to avoid dangerous collisions with migrating birds. h": / /www2. timesrex,iew-.com/ST /community /295336729549917.php Quick Sear Search waatt-" Enter city c 12/18/2004 The Suffolk Tunes ( Christmas in the field Page 2 of 3 'The bird count also ads as an environmental early warning system. Recalling the canaries that miners took with them into coal mines to detect noxious fumes, birds are usually quicker than man to read to changes about them; one example — recent concerns over peregrine falcons, ospreys and brown pelicans because of widespread use of insecticides.' The author of the article ended with this thought "Most of the birdwatchers were chilled and tired, eager to head for the hot cider and chowder awaiting them at the end of the day.' We are privileged to have some of Roy Latham's old bird count records that he sent in to add to our Orient count when I was the compiler for the area. Here are a few quotes from his letters: '1971 This is the list for the farm and the bird feeders in the village. You may have Wed the marsh hawk as it came over the bay from Gardiners Island in the morning and was over the farm all day and returned in late afternoon this is the winter habit of the marsh hawk seen in Orient How far west they range now I do not know. Years ago they went as far as Southold. "1972 — Here is my 73rd Christmas Bind Count, 1900 to 1972. This count was only on this farm and my sister4n4aws place in the village. I did not see the small flock of bobwhites. I know they are on the farm. "1974 — I wonder where the starlings are. None seen on the farm all summer and none nested here, or only one seen at a time for weeks. None today here. Just like it was 70 years ago. 1 do miss them and glad of it "1975 — Very few starlings recorded on this farm in 1975. Weeks at a time when no starfings were seen. It takes us back 68 years to 1907 when the first starling was recorded on the farm. Got just one on this count by skin of the teeth when a single starring came to the yard to drink. "1976 — It is the third time a red - shouldered hawk has been in a tree in our yard since November first This hawk has history here. We settled on this farm in 1888 (when I was 7 years old). A pair of red- shouldered hawks was nesting on this farm that year and the following years to 1912 until that grove of red cedars were cut off. This bird alighted on a tree about 30 feet from me. "1977 — Very few birds around the farm this winter. Perhaps others are feeding them better. At 97 here is my home list — "Herring Gull 2, Pheasant 2, Mouming Dove 7, Sparrow Hawk 1, Saw -whet Owl 1, Downy Woodpecker 1, Flicker 2, Blue Jay 2, Common Crow 5, Starling 0, House Sparrow 2, House Finch 2, White throated Sparrow 2, Song Sparrow 2, Tree Sparrow 1, Junco 1, Cardinal 2, Myrtle Warbler 1, and Hermit Thrush 1.' Mr. Latham used his old 1912 Oliver typewriter to record his bind list each year on stationery that had a picture of his windmill with an osprey nest on the top. His farm was called The Osprey's Nest In one of The Suffolk Times' interviews with Mr. Latham in the 70s he said, 'We used to see 19 fish hawk nests from the front porch. Now we only see two. We had 60 osprey nests in Orient at the peak. Now there are only four or five." We've been reminiscing about the Christmas Bird Counts of long ago and how this annual event got started and how it's grown. Now rd like to introduce you to Mary Laura Lamont, who now compiles the Orient Christmas Bind Count and hosts the after -count get together. 'This year the Orient Count will be celebrating its 100th anniversary! As Paul stated earlier, the famous naturalist Roy Latham established the count in the year 1944. It is one of the oldest published counts in the country and this year will take place on Jan. 1, 2005. Approximately 50-70 observers are expected to participate in the count in http://wr vw2. timesrevieiv. com/ ST /Community/295336729549917.php 12/18/2004 The Suffolk Tunes I Christmas in the field Page 3 of 3 assigned areas stretching from Pecor is to Plum Island, Shelter Island and the north side of the South Fork east and west of Sag Harbor. 'After a day of counting birds, many folks come back to my house to have dinner and hear the results of the day. A serr&compilation is done that night so we know of the highlights and the approximate number of species. Its always a highlight of the day to exchange bird stories, see old and new friends, sit by the fire and eat a hot bowl of North Fork Fish Chowder. (Ifs Barbara Stoutenburgli's old recipe —1 told her 1 wouldn't take over the count unless she shared the recipe with me!) Actually some people just do the count to get to the fish chowder afterwards! last year the results were excellent We counted 28,535 individual birds representing 113 different species. Its anyone's guess what we will tally Oft year on New Year's Day. In 19D4, when the Orient Count was bom, Roy Latham wrote `deep snow, cold northeast winds, temperaw a high of 16 degreesr Lefs hope the weather this year will be a tad nicer than Ray's first year, as we do the count regardless of the weather conditions. "I wonder what he would think now of his little Orient Count? Its an honor far me to compile one of the oldest counts in the country and to continue in the footsteps of Latham and the Stoutenburghs. The Stoutenburghs comimled this count for 27 years! Its a great count and one 1 hope will continue for another loo years!" © 2004 Times - Review Newspapers http_/ Avwvv2.t imesreview. com/ ST /Communityt295336729549917.php 12/18/2004