November 27, 1986 - Needed: Land for LandingsNeeded: Land for Landings
By PAUL STOUTENBURGH
The cat is curled up under the
wood stove and that means it's cold
outside. I saw a rough - legged hawk
hovering over the back field this
morning and that means winter is
here for sure.
This winter hawk comes to us from
the far north and is seen occasionally
during the winter here on the East
End. It is not as common as the red -
tailed hawk but, like anything in the
natural world, its abundance usually
depends on the supply of food it lives
on. One of the easy ways to identify
this hawk is that it's big and hovers
in the air in one spot, like our little
kestrel or sparrow hawk when it.
hunts for mice or insects.
This is the first time I have ever
seen this northern hawk in the back
lots and it shows how a change in
habitat can almost inevitably deplete
species or bring in new ones. Years
ago when we first built in our woods,
the fields in back were cultivated,
planted in potatoes, cauliflower or
cabbage, harvested, and then in the
fall the land was planted in winter
rye. This would act as a cover crop
through the winter and in the spring
it would be plowed under to add
humus to the soil.
Now the property has new tenants
who have let the field go fallow for a
few years. In the interim, the field
has started to revert back to he nat-
ural plants and shrubs that surround
the fields. Windblown seeds and
those dropped by birds or brought in
by animals all have taken root and
changed the once - cultivated fields'to
fields of plants of various sizes and
shapes. It is this natural cover that
has enticed the small animals from
the surrounding area to come in.and
live in this new -found territory.
Mice, voles, rabbits, quail, snakes,
turtles, raccoons and even deer have
found a new frontier and moved in to
make a claim.
Change Draws Wildlife
This is why I see the red - tailed
hawk soaring high above these fields
looking for a meal. This is why I see
the marsh hawk gliding low over the
stubble of the field in hopes of taking
by surprise a mice or vole that has
scurried for cover and misjudged his
timing. And, of course, this is why I
saw, for the first time today this un-
usual winter visitor from the north.
Take away the habitat that was
created by leaving the fields fallow
and you will take away the hawks.
Focus on
Nature
It's a simple but powerful lesson
that I am afraid few people under-
stand. It is the same philosophy, but
in reverse, that the white man used
with the Indians. The Indians lived
off the land and the buffalo was their
subsistence. So when the white men
wanted to take over the west, the
easiest way to eradicate the Indian
was to eliminate his food supply by
killing off the buffalo.
In the big picture that simple
theory proves to be the greatest
threat to all wildlife, whether it be
plant or animal, that we face today.
Man's ever exploiting the world has
drastically affected our wildlife
habitat. Whether it's on the African
plains or the rain forest of the Ama-
zon that man is using the land for
his own purposes, habitat will surely
suffer.
To some this is inevitable and is
labeled progress and I believe they
are right. The problem comes in
knowing where we draw the line on
progress, for our natural world is not
an infinite item, no more than the
natural resources of coal or oil.
Books Must Balance
If population continues to increase
and man spreads his domain, we will
soon come to a roaring halt. Whether
we pollute our world with our by-
products; diminish the life- breathing
oxygen that our plants give off; dis-
solve our ozone layer and become
pawns living away from the sun; or
succumb to the inumerable problems
that today's world manufactures,
some place along the way the books
have to balance.
What we can hope for is that
perhaps someday we will realize
there are limits to everything if we
want a life that has meaning to all.
There is a movement slowly trickling
in the mainstream of the civilized
world. Whether it will be heard or
not is only something we can hope
for. Without this voice our children's
children will never know or experi-
ence the joy of a spring morning, the
fragrance of a flower, the majesty of
a hawk's flight or the Thanksgiving
meal that holds the bounties of the
land before them.
Look what just `slipped'
into Greenport!
ELEGAIYT5LIPPER5
Stocking stuffem or a gift for that special person like yourself.
S 1 iv rront DE., %JreenporL - '*r r -sve;P
Hours: Monday- Saturday 10-'5; Sunday 10 -2
w.w.t..
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The Suffolk Times /November 27, 1986 /Page I I A
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
WILD TURKEY - -This handsome and much - sought -after game bird,
once common throughout much of the eastern seaboard, has today, in
some of the more remote areas of our state, been reintroduced and is
doing well.
/'M
SPLASH
...a female fox hound,
spayed, about 3 years old. A
good home with space for
running and playing would
make me so -o -o -o happy!
To see me, come between
10 a. m. and 3 p. m. to the...
SOUTHOLD TOWN ANIMAL SHELTER, Peconic
off Peconic Lane, in back of Highway Department a 765 -1811
This ad is sponsored by...
CEL /C REAL TORS
Mattituck • 20M and Greenport • 427- -NO
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