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September 04, 1986 - Ah-Ah-ChooooooooAhmAhmChooloolooloo By PAUL STOUTENBURGH It's about that time of year when seeds and pollen ripen, making the time right for sneezes and runny eyes. It's hard to believe some of us can be so susceptible to a tiny, almost invisible particle floating in the air. But just listen to the radio and it will verify that the pollen count is high. I've put up with it for most of my life and can't remember a fall that I was spared watery eyes and a runny nose. Oh yes, there were those early days when I was aboard ship in the ser- vice, but then we had other things to contend with. It seems my particular hay fever comes when we have a quick change in temperature, as we had last week. Record -low temperatures were re- corded throughout the northeast on Thursday and Friday as the cool wea- ther swept in from the north an- nouncing to all that summer was just about over. I might have known from looking out on the pasture, for the cows are not bothered by the flies as much as they were when it was warm and humid. The pasture is lush, as most lawns are, because of the extra - wet August we've just had. A good friend of mine who is get- ting on in years has turned the heat on already in his house because of the drop in temperature. I can under- stand that -- I can remember my dad having trouble with the cold as he got older. Guess our circulation slows down, plus we're not as active in those later years and that all adds up to minding the cold. Wood Stove Comes Later We'll hold off with the heat in our house until the temperature drops a lot more, since a wood stove involves more than just throwing a switch. We're better prepared this year than ever before. The wood shed is bulging and the extra wood outside is more than enough to get us through the year. This is the ninth year we have not used our oil burner since the oil crunch. We'll be using sweaters and warmer clothes for some time in the house before we light up the stove for good. Cool nights surely put a hold on the insect sounds of the night that we have been hearing during the hot summer months. They'll be turned back on as soon as cool weather breaks and the warmth again shows itself a few more times before leaving for good. The end of August and the begin- Focus on Nature ning of September is snapper time. It is the time when grandfathers take grandsons down to the creek and draw for bait with a big seine net and then, with a rigid snapper pole, cast out for those darting silver fish that we all learned about when we were young. The nice part about snapper fishing is that they are easily caught and you usually don't go home empty- handed. It was like the blow- fish of yesteryear when you could al- most guarantee to keep amused catching a mess of swellbellies. For those interested in the bird world, you can tell there is move- ment going on throughout the East End. Along our shore fronts we'll be seeing less and less of the osprey as they, one by one, decide to take ad- vantage of a northwest wind and head south. Some will spend the winter in the southern states where fishing will be better. Others will continue on all the way to the shores of South America as far south as the great Amazon Basin of Brazil. Migration Tells of Fall Along the sandbars and beach edges we'll see a wide assortment of shore birds that have been moving ever since July. These small bundles of energy are "fattening up" for their long migration south. We've seen some of the more interesting ones on the sod farms and newly dug potato fields. Golden and upland plovers, those birds that hold themselves so beautifully and seem to me to be the classic shore bird, can be seen easily in the upland areas without getting out of your car. Even the common robins are gathering together to start their journey south. Over 200 of them took off from my willows down by the pond the other evening, as I sat and watched them move out on another leg of their journey. The real gather- ings, though, are the blackbirds and grackles that cause the grape grow- ers much concern. These huge mas- ses can devastate the grapes and the booming we hear coming from the vineyards is an attempt to scare them away. These are all signs that fall is com- The Suffolk Times /September 4, 1986 /Page 9A Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh SHAGGY -MANE MUSHROOM - -Ady Schreiber, the well -known au- thority on mushrooms here on the East End, tells me that this has been one of the best seasons he has seen on the island. Remember, though, never to eat a mushroom unless you are absolutely sure it is edible. Some can be deadly. ing. Potatoes are being dug after a long season, grapes are getting ready to be picked and we'll look forward to tasting the wine. Birds are migrat- ing; the young and young -at -heart are fishing for snappers; gardens are almost spent; lawns will be mowed less now and our beaches and roads will once again be carrying a lighter load of people, for the summer season is over. All this tells us there is a change in the air. Fall is coming.