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January 16, 1986 - Bird Count ReviewedPage 14 The Suffolk Times January 16, 1986 Bird Count Reviewed By PAUL STOUTENBURGH Throughout the year I get telephone calls from the good folks on the East End concerning a special bird they've seen. This is particularly true in the winter, when most don't believe we have many birds about. Few realize the variety of wildlife that still exists throughout the winter here on the East End. Then, of course, there is that chance they've seen something really rare so I'm always glad to answer their calls. To give some idea of the variety of birds we can find if we really make the effort, I've included a list of birds seen on our Christmas Bird Count and would like to comment on some. Most have heard the phrase "crazy as a loon." It refers to the big solitary div- ing duck we see in our bays and sound here on the East End. Some might have heard its wild and haunting call on a still day coming across the bay. Others, who have traveled to some of the more remote lakes in the Adirondacks or Canada, might have heard it there where it nests. It's having a tough time competing with man and his constant encroachment on its solitude. And here on Long Island, it's presently having a difficult time, if you remember from my past article where I spoke of reports of over 100 of these birds caught in an oil spill. Yet, our group of 49 observers found 61 of these loons in our area the day of the count. Just recently a gentleman called me about seeing a great blue heron stalk- ing goldfish at the edge of his frozen pond. Usually, they fly south for the winter but there are always those that try to make it through. If the freeze lasts too long, the misjudgment will cost that heron its life. It might sound cruel but that gene of staying behind is wiped out and the birds that flew south will live to pass their flying south genes on. We found 311 of these handsome three -foot great blue herons trying to make it. Some will. Some won't. Freeze Causes Swans Trouble Everyone has their own particular swans throughout our town. These handsome but sometimes destructive birds are a typical misfit in our natural world. They are domesticated birds that have gone wild and have lost most of their wild instincts such as migrating, so they too suffer when things freeze up. As long as they can find open water, they can usually survive. Someone called asking if seeing 10 swans in their creek was unusual. No, swans usually stay together for the first year, so they were probably a family. As the cold wea- ther freezes more of our creeks and ponds, they are forced together some- times in large groups. We found 134 sprinkled throughout the count area. One year over on the south side in Moriches we counted over 700 huddled together in one unfrozen spot. A real odd count number was our black duck number -- 7,865. This was way up and we really can't account for it. Most were found on Mashomack, that great Nature Conservancy Preserve on Shelter Island. This duck has been steadily declining for the past years and there's much concern about its future. Why the big concentration at Mashomack, we don't know. The more common mallard that's in our creeks and feeds on the lawns along the waters produced 1700 individuals, contrasting with the 7,865 black duck. For the oldtimers who go back to the 1930s, they can remember broadbill or Scaup ducks in our bays by the thou- sands. That was when our bays had eel grass throughout them but as most know, the eel grass was wiped out by a disease in the'30s and has never really come back. Our total count was 604, a Focus on Nature far cry from the thousands of yes- teryear. It just goes to prove if habitat is removed or damaged you can lose your wildlife. Scoters -- the duck hunters out here call them coots -- were very low this year. In particular, the waters off Orient State Park, where we usually get our highest numbers, only produced 92 scoters. Other years it was in the thousands. Could it be the result of the brown tide we had last summer? I've been told the oyster farm lost one half of its crop due to that brown algae. Why couldn't it effect the food these scoters were feeding on? No food, no ducks. One good sign we have been seeing is the increase in the number of hawks. This is a good sign not only for the hawks but for people alike. Many things in the natural world are indicators of how well our world is going. A low number of hawks told us through re- search and study that our world was being loaded with pesticides. Better un- derstanding of them and their use has tipped the balance back to a more nat- ural world, and the hawks who live on the top of the food chain and are most effected by the accumulation. of pes- ticides have started to make a com- eback. We have a long way to go but we have at least started and the future looks good. There are so many other interesting figures and facts that I could relate about that showed up from our count but space won't let me ramble on. What I have done is to include a listing of all 106 species seen and the number of in- dividuals in each species. Look the list over and find your own special bird. Is it the chickadee? We saw 522 of them. They're well established. I think you'll find the list interesting. Red - throated Loon 2, Common Loon 61, Horned Grebe 72, Great Cormorant 8, Double -br. Cormor- ant 24, Great Blue Heron 31, Black -cr. Night Heron 2, Mute Swan 134, Brant 1, Canada Goose 715, Wood Duck 1, American Black Luck '1,8115, Mallard 1,700, Northern Pintail 35, Gadwall 70, Canvasback 130, Greater Scaup 604, Oldsquaw 573, Black Scoter 23, Surf Scoter 77, White- winged Scoter 3,029, Common Goldeneye 643, Bufflehead 487, Hooded Merganser 12, Red- breasted Mear- ganser 312. Northern Harrier 21, Sharp - shinned Hawk 6, Cooper's Hawk 4, Red - tailed Hawk 40, American Kestrel 43, Merlin 3, Ring- necked Pheasant 3, N. Bobwhite 56, American Coot 1, Black- bellied Plover 6, Killdeer 1, Sanderling 11, Dunlin 1, Com- mon Snipe 2, American Woodcock 1, Ring - billed Gull 75, Herring Gull 2,648, Great Bl- backed Gull 183, Rock Dove 363, Mourning Dove 724, Common Barn Owl 2, E. Screech Owl 30, Great Horned Owl 12, Snowy Owl 1, Long -eared Owl 2. Short-eared Owl 1, Belted Kingfisher 26, Red- headed Woodpecker 4, Red - bellied Woodpecker 32, Downy Woodpecker 92, Hairy Woodpecker 21, Northern Flicker 262, Blue Jay 872, American Crow 425, Fish Crow 1, Black - capped Chickadee 512, Tufted Titmouse 92, Red- breasted Nuthatch 14, White- breasted Nuthatch 98, Brown Creeper 6, Carolina Wren 47, House Wren 1, Winter Wren 2, Golden- crowned Kinglet 2, Ruby - crowned Kinglet 1, Eastern Bluebird 1, Hermit Thrush 3, Wood Thrush 1, American Robin 172, Grey Catbird 11, N. Mockingbird 140, Brown Thrasher 1, Cedar Waxwing 76. European Starling 1,940, Yellow -ru. Warbler 1,104, Palm Warbler 4, N. Cardinal 231, Rufous - sided Towhee 14, American Tree Sparrow 97, Field Sparrow 60, Vesper Sparrow 1, Savannah Sparrow 15, Sharp - tailed Sparrow 2, Fox Sparrow 1, Song Sparrow 408, Swamp Sparrow 10, White- throated Sparrow 511, White- crowned Sparrow 14, Dark - eyed Junco 202, Snow Bunting 1, Red- winged Blackbird 17, Eastern Meadowlark 1, Rusty .Blackbird 3, Purple Finch 3, House Finch 844, Common Redpoll 8, American Goldfinch 15, Even- ing Grosbeak 1, House Sparrow 264. Total species seen Dec. 29,1985 = -106; species -in- dividuals -- 29,545. Bowling SUNDAY MIXED Beach Appliance 1371/2 Merrill Lynch 130 Sobieray Housepainting 122 Burt's Reliable 115 Mike's Harbor Seafood 115 Fishermen's 114 Hellenic Snack Bar 1041/2 Mattituck Bowl 102 Starlite Auto Body 92 Brian's Song 911/2 Robert's Jewelers 861/2 Wm. J. Mills Co. 83 Mattituck Auto Machine 81 Fogarty Electric 75 Campbell's 70 Zellers 65 High Team Series: Beach Appliance, 2225; . Starlite Auto Body, 2100; Fishermens, 2088; High Team Game: Starlite Auto Body, 819; Beach Appliance, 784; Sobieray Housepainting, 746; Bowlers of the Week -Men: Tony Doroski, 237; Keith Roberts, 235; Artie Thompson, 232; Women: Sharon Rumpler, 190; Barbara Leonard, 187; Dot Boyd and Karen Gliover, 185; High Series -Men: Artie Thompson, 611; Pete Victoria, 553; Phil Montgomery, 549; Women: Karen Glover, 492; Ceil Roberts, 483; Sharon Rumpler, 482. MONDAY NIGHT LADIES North Fork Bank & Trust Co. 124 Skipper's Restaurant 1151/2 A. W. Glover Trucking 110 Joe's Trucking 1021 /2 Weekend Pest Control 100 Schiller Plumbing 99 Grabie's Appliance Service 98 Cliffs Girls 98 Southold Savings Bank 901/2 Fine Care Lawn & Tree 90 Southold Pharmacy 86 Mattituck Auto & Machine 811/2 John Berryman & Assoc. 81 Goodale Electric 76 Peconic Liquors 75 Schriefer Construction 69 High Team Series: Cliff a Girls, 2306; High Team Game: Grabie's Appliance Service and Weekend Pest Control, 825; High Individual Series: Barbara Teresko, 529; High Individual Game: Bobbi Boner, 232. TUESDAY MORNING LADIES Rated X 104 Foxy Ladies 87 Clam Diggers 81 Cannon Balls 77 Hot Shots 75 Klutz & Co. 72 Handicaps 67 Pin Ups 53 High Team Series: Hot Shots, 1908; Handicaps, 1854; Foxy Ladies, 1787; High Team Game: Handicaps, 697; Hot Shots, 682; Foxy Ladies, 611; High Series: Rosellen Storm, 489; Alice Doroski, 441; Linda Hildebrandt, 436; High Game: Rosel- len Storm, 202; Emily Gundersen, 170; Hope Meyhofer, 168;High Average: Alice Doroski, 149; Hope Meyhofer, Chris Hall, Mary Guistizia and Betty Katzer, 147; Muriel Wills, 143. SOUTHOLD MEN Spirit Shop 117 Van Duzer 106 Sid Beebe Builders 102 Pro Shop 99 Briarcliff 97 Hall 97 Cheese Emporium 931/2 Oyster Farms 82 Arrow Bar 81 Warren's 79 Norkelun 781/2 Minute Men 72 Smith Realty 71 Mattituck Aviation 54 High Team Series: Van Duzer, 3289; Pro Shop, 3228; High Team Game: Van Duzer, 1146; Spirit Shop, 1129; Smith Realty, 1121; High Series: F. Donahue, 707; J. Coyle, 674; High Game: J. Coyle, 279; F. Donahue, 277; J. Coyle, 267; Bowler of the Week: T. Gilson, 600; High Average: T. Doroski, 188. SOUTHOLD SENIORS Mets 62 Ducks 59 Snakes 58 Good Guys 56 Five Pebbles 55 Krauts 541/2 Splits 54 Strugglers 50 Spares 49 Optimists 48 Five Blanks 45 Gems 391/2 High Series -Men: Al Stone, 532; Jim Slater, 526; George DiDomenico, 499; Women: Elsie Pol- lett, 456; Selma Schneider and Alice Slater, 418; Esther Morcombe, 412; High Game -Men: George DiDomenico, 204; Ray Kenney and Lou Siracusano,193; Al Stone, 109; Women: Elsie Pot- lett, 174; Selma Schneider and Alice Slater, 151; Esther Morcombe, 149. TUESDAY NIGHT MIXED Wheeler's Garage 115 Meetinghouse Deli 114 Mattituck Bowl 112 Kevin Knobloch Lawn Care 1041/2 Quiet Man Inn 102 Chimney Checker 101 Briden Machine 96 Hair Experience 94 Sobieray Housepainting 94 Penny Lumber 92 Walter's Plumbing 89 Punkin's 89 Lou's Service Station 87 Holly Hollow Nursery 73 Southold Savings Bank 69 Sid Beebe Builder 641/2 High Team Series: Lou's Service Station, 2181; Mattituck Bowl, 2106; Walters Plumbing, 2104; High Team Game: Mattituck Bowl, 819; Lou's Service Station, 787; Lou's Service Station, 747; Bowlers of the Week -Men: Ron Mazzaferro, 214- 564; Ron Yedloutschnig, 202 -574; Ed Adams, 200- 500; Women: Bonnie Mazzaferro, 180 -513; Vera Doroski, 190 -462; Hazel Sobieray, 193 -458; High Series -Men: Chris Gebhardt, 597; Ron Yed- loutschnig, 574; Ron Mazzaferro, 564; Women: Bonnie Mazzaferro, 517; Judy Victoria, 477; Lau - reen Wheeler, 471; High Game -Men: Doug Peter- son, 235; Chris Gebhardt, 219; Ron Mazzaferro, 214; Women: Hazel Sobiewray,193; Vera Doroski, 190; Judy Victoria, 186; High Average -Men: Ron Yedloutschnig, 185; Ed Adams, 181; Tom McGun- nigle, 179; Women: Laureen Wheeler, 173; Claire Sparke, 161; Emma Parker, 156. THURSDAY MORNING LADIES No Hitters 1111/2 Pin Pals 103 Gutter Gals 102 Potato Bugs 102 Strike Force 102 The Champs 96 Second String 87 High Rollers 861/2 Red Hots 771/2 Stragglers 671/2 High Team Game: No Hitters, 631; Strike Force, 627; High Rollers, 613; High, Team Series: High Rollers, 1791; No Hitters, 1784; The Champs, 1766; Bowlers of the Week: Denise Antongeorgi, 192; Alice Doroski, 178; Lynn Catalano, 172; Betty Shalvey, 170; Ann Baker, 166; Sue Kujawski and Betty Troyan, 163; High Series: Lucille Zuhoski and Alice Doroski, 467; Betty Shalvey, 449; Lynn Catalano, 448. MATTITUCK SENIORS Avengers 1201/2 Dashers 113 Bluitts 1111 /2 Five Spears 110 Five Hearts 106 Katzeniammers 1051/2 Spares 105 Strikers 104 Keglers 931/2 Happy Rollers 91 Feisty Five 89 Pen Pals 86 JRs 84 Bobcats 67. High Series -Men: J. Doscher, 511; Jack Wills, 510; C. Glowacki, 488; Women: J. Siegmann, 446; L. Tobia, 431; B. Katzer, and M. Jaeger, 429; High Game -Men: C. Glowacki, 203; J. Wills, 199; H. Sandstedt, 185; Women: M. Pedro, 166; B. Katzer, 163; J. Siegmann, 162. FRIDAY NIGHT MIXED North Fork Nursery 1261/2 Hairscene By Flo . 1221/2 Tony's-Complete Auto 118 East Coast Mines 116 Sobieray House Painting 108 Saland Real Estate 103 Wheeler's Garage 1011/2 Southold Bldg., Inc. 991/2 Bookmiller Real Estate 931/2 Stan's Home Improvements 89 Fine Care Lawn & Tree 89 Al's Service Station 871/2 A. W. Glover Trucking 86 Gubbin's Running Ahead 85 Fisherman's Rest 80 Skinny Dip Pools 79 Bowler's of the Week: Denise Antongeorgi, 220; Ken Woods, 205; Jim Coyle, 201, 185; Tony Doroski, 200,195; John Bokina, 200; Charles Kil- lian, 199; Roy Monahan, 193; Karen Leonard, 191; Laureen Wheeler, 190; Andy Sokobin, 190; Sue Hulse, 190; Debbie Monahan, 188, 184, 179; Dick Wheeler, 188; Sandy Hulse, 188; Ron Falkowski, 180; Joe Edler, 180; Tim Monahan, . 179; Hazel Sobieray, 179; Dan Poliwoda,179; Barbara Bokina, 177; John Sobieray, 176; Dottie Kotylak,175; Tim Newalis, 175.