May 24, 1984 - Summer's Green Canopy Is DescendingSECOND SECTION Tbr *Ilffolh TiMC5 May 24,1984
summer's Green Canopy Is Descending
By PAULSTOUTENBURGH
No longer can I see through the woods
around our house. The green canopy of
summer has closed in all around us. Only
the far away drone of a lawnmower lets
us know there are neighbors about.
Spring has broken every tightly packed
bud. The early white flowering shadblow
has long since blossomed and in its place
now are patches of showy white dogwood
which tell us we are well on our way to
summer.
The woods has gotten back its summer
migrants. The catbird, towhee and
thrasher scratch in the undergrowth like
miniature chickens. These common
woodland birds spend most of their time
in the lower understory and on the
ground except when they are singing to
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attract a female in the spring. Then
they'll venture to the top of the tree and
sing their hearts out. This is the most
musical part of the year, for once mated
and the young hatched, there is little
time for anything but to keep those
gaping mouths filled.
Of course there are others besides
these in our woods now that the warmth
has once again returned to the land. The
crested flycatcher is a noisy calling bird
at this time of year who builds in broken -
off hollow limbs or broken -open
woodpecker holes. His size requires
large spaces to nest; cavities that have
easy access are ideal.
This is the bird that always seems to
find a snake skin to add to its nest. Just
why this is, no one really knows. Some
say it is to scare off other birds that
might have ideas about an egg lunch or
young for dinner. Others say it is just
that the crested flycatcher likes to add
large pieces of material to its nest. Proof
of this is plastic and fabric that are
sometimes found in their nests. I had one
build in an open box of mine out back and
sure enough the snake skin was there.
Our oriole is back and has been
checking out his old nest. They like open
spaces; large trees hanging over the
road or trees around houses are ideal.
Many times we miss the nest as it is so
well- hidden as it swings in the wind on
the end of a limb. Yet in the fall when the
leaves drop from the trees we'll probably
wonder how we ever missed seeing it.
Down in the Pasture
Down in the pasture the cows couldn't
be happier. They almost seem bloated as
their bellies swell from the lush new
grass and clover that carpets the
pasture. The sharp ear can hear the
grass tearing as they meticulously eat
their way through the thick green. Gone
are the days when they had to move from
one sparse clump to another. Now the
growth is actually past them. They can't
eat it fast enough. After they eat, they lie
chewing their cud. A peaceful scene on a
beautiful spring afternoon. One so
different than the scenes on the evening
TV news. After it's over one feels as if
there's not too much worthwhile left in
the world. Man seems to dwell on his
misfortunes.
Dinner interrupted this writing, and
seeing the persistent wind that has been
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
YELLOW WARBLER FEEDING YOUNG -- Usually built lined with downy plant fibers to insure its warmth.
in the !ow underbrush, the yellow warbler's nest is
with us this week had died down, I
grabbed my pad and walked up back to
the old hay shack where I often sneak
away from the world. Here I'll finish
writing this bit of the article.
The redwings had let me know all the
way up here that I was in their territory,
for somewhere in the meadow I'm sure
they have a nest. The males fly to the top
of a tree to scold me for intruding.
The low pine tree I passed by has a
robin crouched low in her nest, her bill
up, her tail up, hoping I won't see her.
The pond has a new addition, an old dead
willow tree fell across it in that big storm
a few weeks ago. I haven't bothered to
remove it for it makes a good place for
the turtles to climb up on and sunbathe.
The green heron that has built up the
road also likes to perch on it while he
patiently stalks fish. The airways
between the patch of woods and the pond
is where these herons fly back and forth
throughout the day. It is interesting to
note they have been doing this for the
past five or six nesting seasons.
The Yellow Trickster
I hear a yellow warbler singing in a
nearby tree telling me that somewhere
nearby he is going to build his nest. More
people have called me this year about "a
yellow bird" they've seen more than ever
before. Years ago I remember
photographing this yellow bird with its
rusty- streaked breast by a pond near the
Mattituck school. The nest was low and
built out of fine stems and grass but was
lined with fluffy plant fibers that made it
soft and warm.
Those were the days when I spent more
time doing the things I liked rather than
the things that seemed necessary. I
visited that nest later when the eggs had
hatched and found that a cowbird, which
has the characteristic of laying its eggs
in other birds nests, had used this yellow
warbler as a foster parent. When the
eggs hatch the young cowbird becomes
the main occupant and so greedy for food
that it pushes the other occupants out of
the nest. Less competition makes for
more food for the cowbird.
Yet the story is not quite that bleak.
Sometimes the little yellow warbler
plays a trick on the cowbird and
completely builds a new nest over the
cowbird's egg, thereby eliminating that
competition from interfering with the
young warblers. It all goes to prove that
if left alone nature will persist and both
species will survive. Sometimes one.
Sometimes the other. I'm glad the
system works this way for surely spring
would lose some of its glitter without that
beautiful yellow warbler greeting us
each spring. Be thankful for the little
things in life.
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