Loading...
January 17, 1985 - What Ho? A White-Winged Scoter?January 17, 1985 The Suffolk Times Page 9 What Ho? A WhiteoWinged Scoter? By PAUL STOUTENBURGH It was five o'clock when our new mod- ern ping - ping -ping alarm went off Saturday morning. I must say, the sound was a pleasant change from the loud clatter of the old alarm. That one just about made one jump out of bed. As a matter of fact, my own internal clock used to waken me just in time to reach over and shut it off to prevent that rude awakening. The reason for rising early was so a group of us could be at Montauk at sun- rise to meet with others and go on our annual duck count. One by one I picked up our group in the frosty morning that had winter's traditional northwest wind behind it. We all knew what that would mean when we got to Montauk, and because of it each of us looked a bit stuffed. There was thermal underwear, extra sweaters, wooly hats, double socks, in- sulated boots and secretive layers that made up our bulk. The real challenge was to get in the back seat of my small car with all that gear on. A little grunt- ing here and a push there got us going and we were soon headed for Montauk. I didn't even ask if the safety belts were on, for I wasn't quite sure they'd fit around the bulk of some of us. We left the heater off in fear of being over- heated. Through the towns on the north shore we sped, then out across the short cut to the south side and headed east. By the time we got to Montauk there was already a bright glow in the east. Thank goodness. It was going to be a clear day. Soon we were opposite the parking lot and under the blinking eye of the fa- mous Montauk light, but it was not the Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh KITTIWAKE - -This lovely small gull spends most of its time at sea and visits our shores occasionally during the winter months. The best place to see it is at Montauk. light we had come to see. We were part of an effort that goes on each year to count the waterfowl throughout Long Island. As the cars came into the park- ing lot, heavily clothed people struggled out. Then the back of the cars were opened and tripods, binoculars, bird books and hot drinks came into view. It seemed some were preparing for the cold ahead. There were men and women, old and young, all excited about the day's ventures. Headed Out in the Cold Soon the leader headed off to the big concession building at the north end of the parking lot. It is here that most groups meet and start their work. Tripods were set up, binoculars came into use as eyes swept the turbulent waters to the north. Gulls had already started their scavenging patrols of the beachfront and in the background, ducks were moving to new feeding grounds. Comments such as "white- winged scoters. Goldeneyes, five cormorants to the left. Ten mergansers. What's this one? Just over the dune grass where those gulls are feeding. Is that a kit- tiwake:" could be heard. Tears streamed out of everyone's eyes as the wind made them weep with the cold temperature off the water. Fingers worked clumsily to focus binoculars and scopes. People did little dances to keep warm and hands after slapping would soon find a place in a nearby pocket. After half an hour or so of standing, the group moved down to the beach and under the lighthouse. This huge light towered above us, sweeping its eye to the rising sun. The sea crashed on the rocks that acted as a base to the eroding cliffs and the spray froze as it hit, giving the black rocks a coating of white. When we came into the parking lot we had seen the Coast Guard flag flying and a small crafts flag flying from the yard arm. How true this warning had been, for no one was out in any small boat that we could see. The mere idea of frozen spray ran a chill down my back as I recalled memories of when I was in the service and we had had to chop ice off the superstructure so it would not build up overbearing weight. Again we recorded what we saw, scanning and scanning, exchanging re- marks about this bird or that one until the area was exhausted and we headed back to the parking lot where we re- ceived our assignments for the day. Creature Comforts How nice it is the park service keeps heated bathrooms open year -round at Montauk. I hear we now have them at Orient State Park as well. A gold star for the park service. The area we were assigned ran from the Montauk light west along the south bluffs down to the village or Montauk. We knew this area well with its high cliffs and rocky shore below. It included old Fort Hero, which we found out later is off - limits to vis- itors now. We had come in from down below and missed the "Keep Out" sign. We found few ducks along the beach, but miles of gulls resting on the water along with 300 or more Bonaparte gulls far to the west. The winds must have strained to the limit the gulls' endur- ance, and they were now resting in the lee of these greai cliffs. Years ago we would have seen rafts of scoters along here but now there were none. All would be noted in our survey. We did see five or six harbor seals popping up every once in a while from their feeding down below. I never tire of looking at their whiskered faces as they come up for air. On our way out we passed the great radar dome that marked man's once - great technological achievement. Now it's outdated and stands doomed to junk. We commented among ourselves on the vast energy and effort that went into such gadgetry and wondered how it bet- ter might have been used. Gsr next assignment was the area around the old radio towers north of the highway. Here it meant stepping out of the car, scanning the area with the full force of the wind at your face, jumping back in and moving up another thousand feet or so. Much of Napeague Bay was frozen but there were scatter- ings of bufflehead, goldeneye, oldsquaw and shelldrake all along the area. By 1 p.m. we had finished and headed home, stopping in East Hampton at a little sanctuary for lunch. We were literally greeted by hundreds of mallards. Seems it's a feeding area and when anyone comes there the ducks swarm about the car to be fed. In the afternoon sun the green heads of the mallards were spec- tacular. Further along at Water Mill we stopped to look at thousands of geese feeding in the fields. More were being added every minute as they flew in from the ocean where they had been resting. The rest of our trip home was unevent- ful save for the drowsing head of the passenger in the back. Relaxation and warm clothing do wonders for the eyes and soon they try to close. We all had a vigorous day and were glad to be head- ing home.