May 30, 1985 - A Walk in the ParkPagpjl The SuSoilk' Xiiiies May 3a, 1985
OSS9
NORTHFORK
RESTAURANT
North Road, Southold 765 -2111
(between Youngs Ave. and Hortons La.)
The regional cuisine and wines
of Lung Island; made from
scratch, cooked to order, and
served with pride.
Open Tuesday through Sunday, Dinner 5 - 10
Luncheon 12 - 2:30,
Early Bird Sunday Dinner 12 - 5.
Major credit cards.
BRUNCH
(all you can eat) $9.50
with complimentary
Bloody Mary, Mimosa
Cocktail or glass of
Champagne
SUNDAY 12 -3
i
John C. rRoss
CHEF /OWNER
WEST MILL RD. Mattituck Inlet,
MATTITUCK 298-8979
Cozy Fireside Dinning in our Tap
Room -- or enjoy the view from ou r
heated waterfront porch.
OPEN Mon., Weds. and Thurs. 12.2, 5.9
Fri. and Sat. 12 -2, 5 -10, Sun. 12 -9, Closed Tues.
10% Senior Citizen Discount at Lunch
'NIGHTLY SPECIALS-
All served with Soup, Salad and Coffee
— KITCHEN OPEN 7 DAYS t
Hot Lunch Specials
MON. - FRI.
"FANTASY"
JUNE 8th, JUNE 22nd,
J U LY 6th
RESERVATIONS PLEASE
Sauteed Shrimp and Scallop
Platter $9.95
Prime Rib of Beef :12:95
Baked Virginia Ham
w /Raisin Sauce $10.95
Chicken Kiev $8.95
Stuffed Flounder $9.95
Main Road, Southold
76S -9844
(516) 298 -5399 Main Road (Rte. 25i
Dean or Joe Mattituck, N.Y.
/ el
�t , "A MEETING PLACE"
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A Walk in the Park
By PAUL STOUTENBURGH
I went for a walk the other day
through one of our county parks here
on the East End and returned bubbling
with excitement. The reason for my
visit to the park was to check on the
endangered tern colony there, but it
turned into a day of delight with
wildflowers and birds galore. I had to
share this with someone so when I
heard an old friend of mine was going
to visit another friend, I suggested we
visit the park and see my finds.
It was good to be together again and
the chatter that came from the car as
we headed out east brought fond
memories back to each of us. Of course,
we all had binoculars -- standard equip-
ment for any outing -- along with a
scope so that we would be able to see
anything in a distance. We'd rather
have left the cothes off our backs than
to go without this equipment.
As soon as we arrived we scanned the
fish nets that hung drying on the poles
from shore and found six cormorants,
two of which were drying their wings
in the sun. These gawky looking sea-
birds have no oil in their feathers to
protect them from the cold water and
so their feathers literally get soaking
wet when diving for fish. That's why
you see them with their wings spread
out drying.
Wildflowers Galore
Having been there earlier, I headed
for a sand strip that led out into the
marsh. Scattered all along the way were
the dainty white flowers of rock cress,
a frail little flower that loves sandy
places. Further along was the real
treat. Clumps of ground pink were
everywhere, some the size of dinner
Luncheon Special
$6.95
Dinner Specials Nightly
DON LEE at the
PIANO BAR
Friday & Saturday
Focus on
Nature
plates, domed in pink. Here nature in
its harsh environment was able to
evolve a plant that can flourish in pro-
fusion even under the most difficult con-
ditions. I say difficulty, for often storm
tides would cover the area while later
in the season, the heat and lack of mois-
ture would make their living intolera-
ble. Yet this beautiful plant flourishes.
Dig it up and put it in your garden and
I'm almost sure it wouldn't make it. It
seems to have to struggle to survive.
'We know people like that. Put them on
easy street and they soon fall apart.
It was here we set up Bill's scope. This
powerful glass enables one to get a
closer look at things far away. As Bill
picked up black - bellied plovers, peeps
(tiny sandpipers), least terns and
others, Judd and I scanned over the area
with our binoculars. A mockingbird's
song attracted our attention. Some-
where in the cedars I'm sure he was
planning to build. His singing told us
he had not yet found a mate, for as soon
as he does his singing ceases.
Then a pair of song sparrows flew off
to the left. I'm sure they have a nest in
the grasses nearby. A black skimmer
glided by, dipping his long lower bill
into the water as it "skimmed" across
the surface of the quiet creek waters.
What an odd but efficient way of feed-
ing.
Of course, we couldn't help but check
(continued on next page)
W
rwit At
DANCING
IN THE
GOLD ROOM
Every
Saturday Night
DIRECTLY ON L.I. SOUND, GREEN PORT, NEW YORK
For reservations 477 -OW * OPEN 7 DAYS
Major credit cards accepted.
Luncheon Specials starting at
MEI LIN
Chinese Restaurant
MANDARIN & SZECHUAN CUISINE
Finest Chinese Cuisine on the North Fork
Main Road, Southold 765 -3555
OPEN 6 DAYS 11:30 -10 p.m.
CLOSED TUESDAYS
8395
Take Out Orders Available
'1WAY 3n; 1985 he `Suffift- motes Flage,19
Focus...
(continued from previous page)
on the osprey nest on the pole down the
beach and sure enough the whitish head
of an osprey could be seen peering over
the edge. Another successfully placed
platform had worked out well.
Rare Birds Seen
After a while Bill passed the scope to
me and I must say I was anxious to get
a chance to view the marsh, for on my
previous visit I'd seen one of the rare
sights that birders always hope to see
during the spring migration. I'd seen
six whimbrels (Hudsonian curlews).
These are huge shorebirds with ex-
tremely long curved down bills that are
rare anywhere along our coast. I'd seen
one or two on visits to the great flats
off Moriches and Shinnecock years ago
but I'd never seen them here on the
North Shore. On my earlier trip I'd
come up behind these birds without
them seeing me and they flew off not
more 'than 50 feet away. They were so
big and their bills so curled I thought
I had the rarest of rare birds, the long -
billed curlew. Sure enough, there they
were, way across the marsh feeding
quietly.
We wanted to see better and so we
moved around to the other side of the
marsh. Once again we walked out on
-another sandy spit and set up the scope.
They were big, brown, with curved bills
and a pale eye streak, but there were
only four of them. I'd seen six previ-
ously. While Judd and Bill checked
them out through the scope I walked
further on and right below, from deep
grass, two more flew up. That made my
day.
The birds had been feeding in this
marsh at least for two days and what
they were feeding on were fiddler crabs.
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
MALE AND FEMALE FIDDLER CRABS - -In the late 1950s we almost
lost the entire population of fiddler crabs here on the North Fork when
blanket aerial spraying was a general practice. Fiddler crabs not only
make good bait for man when he goes fishing, but they supply a valuable
source of food for wildlife and are a true indicator of a healthy marsh.
I actually saw one reach down and pick
one up. Right then and there my
thoughts flashed back to those early
years of blanket spraying when we al-
most lost all of the fiddler crabs here
on the North Fork. In those early days
of ignorance you aerial sprayed every-
thing and at one particular time they
almost did in the fiddler crab. Thank
goodness we've learned from our mis-
takes and we no longer blanket spray.
Plover Having Tough Time
My day was almost complete, yet I
hadn't seen the nesting pair of
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Site of the First - - --
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Restaurant
NEW SUFFOLK, N.Y. 734 -5330
DEAN BLAIKIE
LUNCH AND DINNER SPECIALS DAILY
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK
ALL YEAR ROUND
LUNCH: 11:30-3, Sun. 12 -3 DINNER: 5 -10, Sun. 12 -9
All Major Credit Cards Accepted
"threatened" piping plover on the
beach. They build their nest on open
beaches and the one I found was among
the vehicle tracks on the beach. Fear-
fully I walked to the area where I knew
the bird had nested. There were no eggs
and no birds but in their place were new
tracks and evidence of vehicle distur-
bance.
Once again the conflict of man and
wildlife had taken place. It dampened
my spirits just a little bit and I realized
a lot of education must still be done in
order to save some of these unique fea-
tures that make our end of the island
what it is.
What a wonderful legacy these parks
are. There is no greater monument to
the men and women who had the
foresight to set these areas aside for fu-
ture generations than an open parkland
such as this. The important thing, here
is that we must make sure we do not
degrade them by misguided use. We
owe it to our children's children.
EUMNAF
(continued from page 3)
has made progress in several areas, in-
cluding the psychiatric unit. A contract
was signed in December for a new Psy-
chiatric Unit Administration to in-
crease the census and maximize re-
venue for the 18 -bed unit, which opened
late in 1983.
A new X -ray room, incorporating the
latest technology, was installed early
this year to replace a 17- year -old X -ray
room. Laboratory renovations neces-
sary to meet regulatory requirements
have been started, with funds from the
William B. Smith Foundation paying
part of the costs.
In order to expand its services in the
western end of Southold Town, ELIH
opened an outreach station in the Mat -
tituck Professional Building. Labora-
tory and X -ray tests are to be performed
at the station.
Mr. Shipule saw the current state of
hospital difficulties as "possibly the
early phases of a new health care sys-
tem, where we have not yet learned to
be efficient with the the enormous pow-
ers for diagnostics and cure that we
have. What will be demanded of us in
the next phase is creativity and imagi-
nation and the determination to adjust
to the system without retreating."
shern-ila.n's Rest.
_734 -5155 k — X ,Cony 9eland's Scuuc ifort/c oak
OPEN
7 NIGHTS
MONDAY NIGHT SPECIAL
Pot Roast or Flounder or Bluefish
Salad - Ice Cream - Coffee
$5.95
Whiskey Sour or Martini
or glass of Chablis $1.15
1i7i1
Best Seafood
on the North Fork.
• SALAD BAR • FULL COURSE DINNERS V
• LUNCHEON & DINNER SPECIALS OF THE DAY
;12 URS: MAIN ROAD, SOUTHOLD
en Daily 765 -2691
Noon"
10 p.m. Reservations
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