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July 30, 1987 - In Hot Pursuit of CoolIn Hot Pursuit of Cool By PAUL STOUTENBURGH I'm afraid I'm guilty of conniving to get on the boat whenever possible and since we were going to attend a 35th anniversary party for friends of ours at one of the good marina res- taurants in the area, I naturally suggested we go by boat. It meant we would have to bring along dress -up clothes since they are not part of the usual equipment aboard. It didn't take much to persuade Barbara, for the heat and humidity of the past week were more than enough for her to comment, "sounds good to me." Luckily there was a nice breeze be- hind us as we sailed eastward in the shade of the big mainsail while we dangled our feet in the cool, sparkl- ing waters of the bay. Gliding along on our journey east, we were amazed at the number of boats about. At one time Barbara counted over 50 in a half -mile radius. Apparently everyone was seeking the water to get away from the heat. Two weeks ago we saw shore birds in their long journey south and today we were seeing single swallows head- ing in the same direction. These birds use our island as a flyway and as summer builds up, so will their numbers. They, too, have completed the necessary step in continuing their species, the nesting and rearing of young. Shelter Island Purple Martins Years ago we had a great many more varieties and numbers of swal- lows than we have now. About the only resident one I see around is the familiar rusty - bellied barn swallow. The purple martins have all but dis- appeared from our East End. What an addition this big graceful swallow was to the area. It is the swallow that nests in colony boxes or apartment complexes that man puts up for them, but now most stand idle. The only nesting site of this once -abun- dant insect eater I know of is Mr. Clark's boxes near the South Ferry of Shelter Island. If anyone knows of others, I'd surely like to hear about them for there's a swallow watch throughout the country trying to de- termine just where these birds are nesting. My martin house was at the edge of our pasture and we all looked for- ward to the return of these birds each year with their busy chattering and graceful flying. Even our tree swallows have drop- ped off sharply in numbers and no longer do we see them nesting in the boxes on our pasture fence. The En- glish sparrow, or house sparrow, has taken them over entirely. Why the swallows have decreased is anyone's guess, but I think it's a combination of events. Their wintering habitat down south could have changed, pes- ticides could have accumulated in the insects they gathered, or perhaps their nesting sites have decreased. It's almost impossible to pinpoint the real cause, but one can be fairly sure in saying man has somewhere along the line been a part of it. The big surprise entrance at the anniversary party was to be at 5:30 p.m. and all guests were to arrive by 5. We finished tying up at 4:50 p.m., so you can imagine we did some fast scurrying about. Even as we were busily tying up, I noticed a family of geese on the far bank, Later we'd see them on, the upland eating the gras- Focus on Nature ses there. Apparently they were raised in the general area, a thing almost unheard of when I was a boy. More and more geese are not migrat- ing south but staying as residents the year 'round, eventually nesting locally. This is particularly true on the south shore where in some areas they have become almost too numer- ous. Green Heron Stalks Nearby As we stepped off the SeaWind onto the dock, we scared a green heron that was stalking below. These floating docks, typical of many marinas today, make ideal exploring places for this small heron. It usually nests by itself in thickets or trees and is one of the few herons that can live relatively well with man. The anniversary party was a great success and yet inside we couldn't es- cape the 90- degree heat of the day even with the air - conditioning going full- blast. When we finally decided to sneak back to our boat, we stepped out into the lingering hot and humid air of the day. Luckily, back at the boat a breeze was blowing, so we re- laxed in the cockpit under the stars. Later we slipped down below into our bunks and drifted off to sleep. About 2 o'clock I thought I heard a hint of rain. Could it be? We hadn't had any for about a month and yet there was that telltale flash of dis- tant heat lightning and the stage was perfect for rain. I listened, half - asleep. Slowly, almost on tiptoes, rain was starting to fall. Everything was wide open -- hatches and ports- - and cushions were outside. I'd have to get up. Yet my snug bunk seemed to say no, wait. Perhaps it will pass, I argued. But, no, the reflections be- came greater and the thunder rolled louder. First the hatches were closed, then the ports; and finally everything out- side was brought in. Half -awake and half - asleep, I climbed back into my bunk and heard the wonderful rain on the overhead. Sorry to say, it didn't last long for I remember hear- ing its patter slowly change to drips as the water ran off the furled main- sail above. Back home our pasture is still parched and dry and the cows long to see it green again. I feel sorry for the farmers with the endless changing of irrigation pipes they are involved in. Someone said they have been across their land six times so far. They don't need this additional expense and back - breaking labor. If the prices aren't right this year, it might well be the straw that breaks the farmer's back. I can't remember a drier July than we are now experiencing here on the East End. One can never be sure about Nature's ways, especially when it comes to the weather. The Suffolk Times /July 30, 1987 /Page 9A Photo by Pau! Stoutenburgh TREE SWALLOWS - -These tireless pursuers of insects have de- creased in numbers along with most other swallows in our area, includ- ing the largest - -the purple martin- -that lives in apartment boxes but is no longer a nester here on the North Fork.