October 20, 1988 - The Ups and Downs of Fall WeatherOctober 20, 1988/The Suffolk Times /Page 11A
The Ups and Downs of Fall Weather
By Paul Stoutenburah
Our fall weather brings us a variety of
weather patterns. The cold and blustery
days tell us of things to come. Yet there
are other days of delightful weather
when sun and warmth remind us of
summer days.
The back pasture absorbs this linger-
ing gift of warmth so that it might
strengthen itself to endure the cold
months ahead. Where the cows miss
grazing seeds form and dry to await one
of nature's many ways of dispersal. it
could be the fierce northwest wind that
shakes and rattles the tiny seeds until
they break through their parchment
confinement. They are whisked away
only to lie dormant until spring rains
once again awaken them to renew their
part in the chain of life. Or perhaps
those dormant seeds are captured by an
army of starlings that marches across
the fields like some miniature panzer
division absorbing everything edible.
Once ingested some seeds somehow
miraculously do not become absorbed
but pass through and drop miles away
from our backyard. Nature disperses its
seeds in many fascinating ways.
In the meantime insects, birds and
animals are preparing for their role in
the months ahead. The friendly garter
snake who enjoyed the freedom of the
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
RED -TAILS ON WINDMILL —
Atop the windmill red - tailed hawks
survey the area below. From small
mice and voles to large rats, from
a scampering rabbit to a dozing
snake in the sun, it makes no dif-
ference to these aerial predators.
All are means of survival.
Focus on
Mature
pasture now instinctively feels a new
awareness, a new urgency. The cold
blood of its body makes it sluggish in
cooler weather and yet it knows it must
probe the area for a space to spend the
winter. Hopefully it will find a place
that will hold the day's warmth through
the night. The old pile of rocks pulled
from the field when the pasture was
formed could well do.
Rocks Provide Warmth
Here each night it coils up, letting the
rocks warm it like some cumbersome
blanket. Others also will seek out this
spot; it will act as a mecca for all the
garter snakes in the area. As the sun
warms the ground a little each day and
as each day grows shorter, more and
more garter snakes will appear, each
testing the air for friend or foe with its
long tongue that picks up tiny
molecules of scent. It's a welcome
world to find a meeting place of fellow
snakes after the summer when each has
traveled his own lonely way.
Theirs is the life of the hunter. They
slither through the grasses unobserved,
quietly stalking their prey, the earth-
worm being the favorite and staple.
When the snake is older it will be able
to catch small toads and frogs but it will
always fall back on the night crawler,
the lowly earthworm.
Garter snakes are the last to hibernate
and the first to emerge in spring. Often
they will venture out to bask in the sun
as the winter months move in. One
would think that once a "snake den" had
assembled its clan and burrowed into the
soft earth below, it would be the last
we'd see of them. But no, there always
seems to be those few who venture out
in hopes of grabbing the warmth of the
sun on those rare days in the fall.
It's then that sitting atop my wind-
mill a red - tailed hawk comes into the
picture. Red -tails can be seen in almost
every corner of our East End, soaring in
great circles above and occasionally sit-
ting like some statue on a tree survey-
ing the area below. They are a grand bird
to watch and sometimes, if you are
lucky, you'll hear them screaming their
wild call seemingly just for the joy of
it.
Red -tails Nest Nearby
We've had a pair nesting in the back
woods across an abandoned farm field for
the past two years. Since we put up our
windmill, they have taken a liking to its
height and we see them perched there
often. Sometimes we'll get both male
and female sitting on it at one time but.
usually just one sentinel seems to be
guarding our pasture. Of course, Mr.
Red -tail is not guarding anything: He's
hunting. It looks as if he is just resting;
in reality his eyes are in a continual
searching pattern.
Looking closely with binoculars I can
see his head turning, giving him a dif-
ferent view for scanning. A sickly bird,
an unsuspecting mouse or rat, a rabbit
caught off guard, a garter snake moving
to a better location in the sun, all come
under his calculating eye. You can usu-
ally tell when the hawk is going to
move. It readjusts its stance and then the
body seems to stiffen and he pushes off.
The big broad wings spread out in a
diving glide from atop the windmill and
he drops to the ground, feet out-
stretched, talons open.
That snake hasn't a chance. It's not
yet warmed up and its body movements
are stiff and sluggish. There is a strug-
gle but it's short- lived. Satisfied with
his catch, the red -tail flies off to the
woods across the field to enjoy his feat
in solitude. All that is left to show of
this daily occurrence is one small feather
lost in the scuffle. Underground the
now - clustered ball of snakes continues
its hibernation unaware and unconcerned
about what has gone on above.
Perhaps others will venture out. Per-
haps they, too, will be taken by the red -
tail. Or perhaps by now the cold will
keep them in 'til spring. Then as the
warmth penetrates their den they'll be
stirred to a new awakening. Slowly one
by one they'll work their way to the
surface. Winter's sleep has been long
and their body reserves mostly used up.
It's again time to start their endless
hunting.
Their favorite food, the earthworm,
will also be freed from his frozen cover
and venture to the surface. The cycle of
life will move as before. My pasture
will have its garter snakes, and hope-
fully my red -tails will still be sitting
atop my windmill.
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