01 January 1963 - Greater Scaup DucksGreater Scaup Ducks (male on the right )
Exclusive Sunday Review Sketch by Dennis Puleston of Brookhaven
by Paul Stoutenburgh
Cutchogue
Focus on Nature
The name scaup originates from
two controversial origins: one be-
ing the name scaup for mussel
and oyster beds in Europe over
which these ducks feed, and the
other one being the sounds utter-
ed by the bird.
Broadbill, blue ackhead,
scaup — caIl them what you will
— they are the ducks that bring
back fond memories and still
quicken the pluse of the old
timer who once gunned the great
South Shore of Long Island. It
was this duck that drew people
from all over the world to hunt
it.
Often the ducks would come in
great flocks to the hundred or
two hundred decoys spread about
the deadly batteries out in the
bays. If this method didn't take
its toll then the duck boats, clev-
erly hidden among the grasses
on some desolate point, surely
would. These batteries and the
great market gunners with their
four, six and eight gauge guns
killed hundreds and hundreds of
ducks in one day without a
though that this abundance would
ever end.
Even as short a time as 25 to
30 years ago great rafts of these
hardy black and white ducks
were to be found in all our bays.
Probably the greatest legends
about broadbill hunting c am e
from the Great South Bay, Mor-
iches and Shinnecock areas. Books
have been written about it and
the characters many but probably
the outstanding hero of all these
tales will always be the scaup.
We often find it havd to con-
ceive the validity of some of
these tales that tell of enormous
flocks of broadbill l i t e r a l l y
obscuring the sun. Rafts of birds
that paralleled for miles along the
shore often would rise up at one
end like a great wand and fill
the air with a rush of wings and
wild excitement. No wonder these
people of old never thought there
would be an end — but an end
did come. Lt was proved by our
duck count this year when we
found less than 10,000 scaup where
once hundreds of thousands fre-
quented this area.
rruuaury me oiggest cause Tor
their decline, oddly enough, was
not the g u n n i n g pressure, al-
though this had much to do with
it. What really thinned out the
duck population and upset the
whole ecology 'of the Island was
the disappearance of eel grass in
our bays. This all important food
supply has shown some signs of
returning but whether its return
will be allowed by the corps of
army engineers now engaged in
disturbing the whole south shore's
bottom by dredging is something
I doubt very much. The restor-
ation of the dunes, I am told, is
all important but I often wonder
if man in his small way is any
match for nature's plan that does
not consider or take into consid-
eration his effort. By removing
Portions of the bay bottom I am
afraid we arq again indulging in
a very dangerous pursuit. Restor-
ing the dunes can be justified, I
am told, to preserve a shell fish
industry but I wonder if this is
the real reason. Little regard is
given to the thousands of other
effects, the untold, unseen effects
that make a balance of nature
operate.
There are two distinct species
of scaup which are very difficult
to distinguish between except by
close observation. The greater
scaup weighs a bit more and has
an iridescent green cast to its
.head while the lesser scaup has
a purplish iridescence. When fly-
ing the greater scaup has a bit
more white in his wing ttem
and sides but `these field marks
are so insignificant that it takes
a trained observer to pick them
up. The females can always be
recognized from the males by
the belt of white around the foot
of the bill. In their habitat the
greater, is more likely to be
found a] the seacoast while
the lesser scaup is usually found
more inland.
The greater scaup breeds main-
ly in Alaska and along the Arctic
rim while its cousin s more
southerly. Both migrate to each
coast but here on the eastern
seaboard we find the greater
scaup more prevalent in the
north than in the south during the
winter. Those of you who have
visited Florida probably :have fed
the lesser scaup in many of the
parks and bays for it is here
they often seek the warmth and
hospitality of this southern re-
treat. The greater scaup stays as
far north as open water will
allow and that is why we find
the few remaining rafts still with
us along the south shore.
neve mussel mews are favorite
feeding grounds although their
diet throughout the year is bal-
anced half between vegetable mat-
ter and animal matter. Being an
extremely strong swimmer and
diver these birds seek d e e p e r
water than our tip-up ducks such
as the black duck and mallard
and therefore we do not find them
in the creeks but out in the 'bays.
This, by the way, is one way in
which to determine the type of
duck you see — his feeding habit
is the key.
It is hoped than through this
series of articles you, our read-
ers, will take more interest in
the world about you. It's all too
often we complain that life is
dull and uninteresting. Modern
times dictate that we be enter,
tained and when one of our many
commercial media fails we are
all too often left floundering in
meaningless pursuits. It is my
hope that you by accepting this
challenge of the world about you
will be able to overcome this pit-
fall and seek out your own enter-
tainment. The broadbill or scaup
is only one of the many parts of
this fascinating puzzle of nature
available to those of you who
will seek it out.
FIELD OBSERVATIONS
Laurence Ernest reports:
Southampton — Jan 5-8
Fox Sparrows
Mecox — Jan 5-8
Kingfishers (2)
Pintails
Green - winged Teal
Continued on Page 5M