January 19, 1984 - Bandits At the FeederJanuary 19, 1984
Bandits At
/The Feeder
By PAUL STOUTENBURGH
A few weeks ago I had a call from
friends in Laurel who thought there was
a yellow- headed blackbird at their
feeder. As this is a western bird and one I
had only seen once before here on Long
�IaL�MG'@
Island, I promptly jumped in the car and
headed west.
When I arrived, of course, the bird
wasn't there. Hoping not to intrude, I
asked if I could stay for a short while in
hopes the stranger would return. These
were good people and encouraged me to
make myself at home and wait.
Their feeders were on the edge of a
creek outside of their house and seeing
they had filled them in anticipation of my
coming the birds were there in force.
There were house finches, with their
blobs of raspberry color, everywhere.
Sprinkled in among them were white -
throated sparrows, mourning doves, five
handsome cardinals, chickadees, blue
jays, nuthatches, red - wings, w000pecK-
ers and others.
Everywhere there was activity. The
usual bully starlings and jays pushed
their way through the crowd grabbing
whatever they could. Outside the window
on a tube feeder the finches played "king
of the hill" for the perch where they
Suzuki Strings
RIVERHEAD - -A second day of Suzuki
Strings will be among the new course
offerings at the start of second semester
(the week of Jan. 30) at the Eastern
Suffolk School of Music. Classes are also
now being offered five days a week at
ESSM's satellite center in Southampton.
Registration for the 15 -week spring
semester begins Tuesday, Jan. 17, at
ESSM's Riverhead office, 141 East Main
Street ( phone 369 -2171) .
The Suzuki Strings program, which
was introduced this fall at ESSM, is the
only program of this type on the East
End. This unique program enables
children three years and older to learn to
play a stringed instrument through a
combination of group and individual
lessons, parental involvement, and
eurhythmics training. Classes for first
semester were offered half -days on
Wednesdays and the program is now
being expanded to include all -day
Wednesday and Tuesday afternoon
classes as well.
ESSM's Southampton Center is located
at the Methodist Church in Southampton,
160 North Main. Beginning with just two
days of classes last fall, the center
currently enrolls students five days a
week in brass, woodwind, flute and
piano. String and other classes are being
added to meet individual student needs.
For more information or to make an
appointment to visit one of ESSM's
classes, contact the Riverhead office at
369 -2171. Scholarships are available on
the basis of financial need. The School's
programs are partially funded by the
New York State Council on the Arts, the
Suffolk County Office of Cultural Affairs
and the Town of Riverhead.
The Suffolk Times
Page 17 '
Photo by Paul stoutenburgh
MOURNING DOVES - -These ground feeders, like one way to tide them over until the snow disappears
many others, are finding the snow cover severely and they once again can forage for themselves.
limits their food supply. Supplemental feeding i.s .
could pick out the thistle seeds from the
feeder.
While all the time this activity was
taking place right under my nose, down
by the creek a parade of black ducks and
baldpate worked their way into the
sluggish tide. Even a kingfisher came to
his favorite post on the dock to hunt the
unsuspecting killie that moved
sluggishly below in the icy waters.
Enjoying the Birds
Inside the house beside me were the
family's binoculars and bird books that
told me this family spent much of their
time enjoying their winter friends. They,
like so many people today, are enjoying
their feeders and finding pleasure in
knowing the kinds and habits of their
feeder birds.
Suet was hanging in a nearby tree to
satisfy the nuthatches, chickadees and
woodpeckers. That high protein source
on a cold winter's day was continually.
being used.
Thoroughly enjoying myself in this
warm and hospitable home, I hoped my
stay would bring the yellow- headed
blackbird into view. All of a sudden every
bird before me took off in one great
explosion and disappeared! I couldn't
believe my eyes! Something had scared
them and they had taken cover in the
nearby shrubbery. You can see why
shrubbery is an important factor in
placing a feeder so that when just such
an occasion comes along, the birds will
have a place to escape.
What had happened was a hawk had
flown into the area and the alarm was
given -- Hide. Hide. Hide. Even though I
hadn't seen the hawk, I knew it must be
somewhere about, but where? As I
strained my eyes, suddenly a bird darted
down into the shrubbery nearby. It was
the bandit that lurks along our
hedgerows and fields -- the sharp- shinned
hawk. He was pursuing these small birds
even now right in full view among the
evergreens. A fast movement here and
then stopping and staring.
Birds Hide Motionless
I could just imagine the terror that
must have gone through the small birds
hiding motionless in the shrubbery
about. They all hoped those glaring eyes
and down - curved beak would not see
them. Sharpies are notorious hunters and
have the ability to pursue through the
shrubbery and trees with devastating
results.
Sometimes they'll actually pick the
bird right out of the air as experienced
once by a group of young people I was
with out in Orient. We were watching
snow buntings in a field when all of a
sudden they flew and as we watched
them a sharpie came barreling through
the air, hitting one in mid air and
carrying it off. It all happened so fast
that all that was left was a puff of
feathers slowly drifting to the ground and
a group of dumb - founded young and old
standing by in amazement.
The hawk I had been watching through
the window had no such luck. Evidently
there was enough cover for the birds to
hide in and the bandit left. He'd find a
perch where he could check on the
shrubbery or thicket edge and if some
mouse or bird made an unguarded move,
he'd be on it like a bullet. Usually it's the
bird or mouse that is weak from the cold
or lacks food and takes an extra chance
that will fall prey first. It's the strong
that survive.
- In the early 1900's hawks were much
more common than they are now. Sharp -
shins and the closer but bigger relative,
the Cooper's hawk, were the hawks that
gave all hawks such a bad name in those
early days, the Cooper's hawk
especially, for he invariably lurked
around the chicken pen. This was the
typical chicken hawk you hear the
oldtimers refer to. These fast - flying
hawks could easily sneak into a chicken
yard and pluck up a small chicken and be
off before the farmer could be out with
his gun. As time went on hawks became
fewer and fewer. Until up to a few years
ago sharpies and Coopers were almost
impossible to find here on the island.
Thank goodness though today with our
new controls and more public awareness,
these hawks have slowly started to
rebuild their populations. Hawks are an
integral part of the world around us. I
doubt if we shall ever see the population
as strong as it was in those early days but
just to see the small increase gives us
hope for the future.
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