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November 04, 1962 - Black DucksBlack Ducks Exclusive Sunday Review Sketch by Dennis Puleston of Brookhaven Focus on Nature by Paul Stoutenburgh, Cutchogue Of all the fresh water ducks along the eastern and central por- tio of North America, none can rival the mighty black duck. Per- haps all will not agree with this statement. I realize there are lim- itations in all and with the black duck it is his lack of brilliant color. I feel sorry for those who must see parrot -like colors in a bird in order to see beauty, for many ways there is elegance in the soft, subdued blendings and shading of buff, brown and black of the black duck. This hidden charm can be recognized only by close examination and it is here that true understanding of these colora begins. The soft yellow to olive -green bill blends into the head that is noticeably lighter in color than the rest of the body. Should you get the right lighting on the head. You will see it is studded.with flashes of iridescent green that are usually missed by the rapid observer. To this person, the iri- descent purplish wing patch is the only outstanding color recogniz- ed. The way the black duck hand- les himself on the water with head erect, and body alert, gives us a clue to the characteristics of this noble bird. Bobbing gently on the waves, he immediate'.y gives one the impression of roy- alty. To the duck hunter, t h i s dick means something spacial for o° all the ducks that are hunted, this one presents the greatest challenge. Seldom can you sneak up on him by surprise. It takes goad decops, properly set out, to lure 'rim within gun shot. The slighest movement or hint of foul play is enough to keep this hig'i flyer well out of range. I have heard it said by old time gunners that in order to get the black ducks in you must have three things on your side — the weather — the time — and a large portion of good luck. By this they mean that only on wet and stormy days when the birds are at a "sight" disadvantage will they come into decoys with- out caution and by time t hey mean only in the evening hours or d u r i n g the illegal ducking time when again the bird is at a "sight" disadvantage, is one able to get close enough to get off a shot. But give them a clear day, when their eyes and instincts are coordinated, you will f in d the back duck in his true char- acter and form — at a distance from all those who are awaiting him. Should you be fortunate enough to have these ducks come in be- fore you, it is something you will never forget. Usually they will circle high over the area, look-' ing for the slightest flaw — then they come in with a rash of dow- turned wings, rocking back and forth, only to back off above the water and gently settle down. Even then they are -alert with head erect and eyes searching. Should a twig snap or an eye lid flutter, they literally jump out of the water. This is no easy task for such a large bird whose short legs are of relatively little '.relp in t h i s gigantic job of propulsion. Many's the time I have walked along the creeks and meadows and been joyfully "scared out of my boots" by this spectacular six to eight foot leap. With strong and rapid wings they fly away in an ever - widening circle, higher and high- er they soar as the white flashes under their wings give away their characteristic flight pattern. There are many people who say there are two types of black ducks — the smaller one called the common black duck and the larger one called the red - legged duck. I have seen both and will agree they definitely look like a different species but if you un- derstand the stages of growth and development that d u c k s go through, I am afraid you would have to concede to the fact that they are the same duck in dif- ferent s t a g e s of development. The bright scarlet- orange colored legs of the much larger d u c k stand out noticably when compar- ing the two. Duck identification is quite a problem and it is almost impos- sible to try to teach one this art. There are many good books on the market that I have used in conjunction with field observa- tions to make identification pos- sib'.e. For those of you who find a duck and cannot tell its identity, there are two steps that will facil- itate identification. The first step is to check the legs and see if the hind to (above the webbed foot) has a lobe on it. This lobe, I speak of. is a flat paddle -type appendage that is found only on our diving ducks. If the bill of one of these ducks is' broad, it belongs to one of the many liv- ing ducks such as the broadbill, ruddy ducks, etc. If the bill is long and narrow, it is one of the mergansers. Should your duck not :have the lobe then it is what we- would call a river or pond duck. Once this sub- family identifica- tion is found the next or second step wou'.d be to check the wing patterns. The wing of a duck is the only part that does not change with the continual m o l t s that ducks go through and therefore serves as r e a d y and constant identification. Checking with col- or plates, identification is a mat- ter of simple procedure. Although we find the b I a c k ducks around our bays and creeks feeding mostly on crustaceans, as a whole their diet is made up of corn, grains, and vegetable matter. I remember one year seeing them in a lima bean field where they literally gorged them- selves during the night. It is in- teresting to note that these ducks are just as much at home on land as they are in the water. It is said they eat acorns, which I believe, for their strong stom- achs have no trouble in digest- ing the many snails, and small clams found in our waters. Many of the black ducks we see in the early fall are native to Long Island, having hatched locally. Their nests are hard to find as they are masters at the art of camouflage. Another prob- lem is that they never fly directly to their nest. However, any loca- tion on the ground that is well - ridden usually satisfies t h e i r needs. The nest is a masterpiece of insulation for it is lined with very soft and fleecy down from the breast. No wonder the arm- ed forces copied this insulation principle for their Artic gear and sleeping bags. The young usually stick toget- er for some time and it is not uncommon to see a mother with her clutch sneaking along the edge of the creek or even caut- iously escorting her newly- hatch- ed vrood across a busy through - fare to the safety of water just beyond. From September on, we find migrating birds drifting into our are. Black ducks seldom fly in large flocks like the broad -bill and old- squaw, but rather perfer small groups or single pairs. As the fresh *ater ponds freeze up in the interior the birds are forc- ed toward the unfrozen salt wat -' ers. Here on the bays and out in the ocean they usually congregate during the winter days-and wait for evening when they fly inland. Many a hunter has cursed this Pock, peacefully resting on t h e water our of range all day, seem- ingly teasing the hunter, only to pick up after hours and head in- land. One of the most inspiring sights you can see is to g o to E a s t Moriches, turn south at the light, and drive down to the bay towards evening. Here the flight begins— single birds pairs, odd numbers, and small groups all flying high and heading up creek forming an unforgettable sight. Fighting the strong north wind, they head in — flashing t h e i r white underparts against the set- ting sun. The cold wind rattles the sedges al'. about and yet there is life moving past you in what seems an endless line. Darkness settles about — and still they ' come — and now you are alone and yet you know up creek there is another world of move- ment just beginning —The Black Ducks. FIELD OBSERVATIONS Donald Glover reports: Plum Island — Oct 30 Red - tailed Hawk Dennis Pulesten reports: Brookhaven — Oct 24 Hermit Thrush (5) Virginia Rail B'ue- winged Teal (3) Brookhaven , — Oct 25 Canvasback (50) Redhead (15) Lesser Scaup (20) flooded Merganser (1) Ruddy Duck (5) Ring - necked Duck (6) Quogue — Oct 28 American Bittern Vesper Sparrow Quogue Sanctuary — Oct 28 Palm Warbler (3) Pine Warbler Pintail (8) Canvasback (5) Green - winged Teal (6) Brookhaven — Oct 29 Rough - legged Hawk Short-eared Owl