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May 11, 1989 - Baltimore Orioles Versus Home Team814 The Suffolk Times • May 11, 1989 Baltimore Orioles Versus Ho e Team By Paul Stoutenburah For one who enjoys the outdoors this time of year becomes a marathon of changing events. The beauty of it all is that you can see this kaleidoscope of change in your own backyard. O f course, if I want to increase the pace, a short walk to the pond down in back will give me a whole new change of events. As the cherry tree drops its blossoms, like some misplaced flurry of snow, it signals the opening of a food supply for the newly arrived Baltimore oriole and others. Watching the brilliantly colored male through my binoculars as he checks blossom after blossom for small insects I marvel how thorough he is. Sometimes he is literally upside down, poking and probing with his long pointed bill. His dazzling orange -and- black body, silhouetted against the blue sky amongst the white cherry blossoms, is a picture that made me wonder if it was all real. From now on the buds that have been locked in winter's hold will open on the oaks, the hickories, the maples and others and like the cherry will start a stampede of minute insect life. It's this food supply that will feed the hungry flocks of migrants from the south. There is a group of birds that will pass through our area called warblers. They're colorful, small birds that are always on the move and have arrived just in time to take advantage of those insects feeding on the budding trees. There's a real challenge to anyone to identify these flitting fluffs of color and, to the ardent birder, warblers in May are what it is all about. Many areas have special warbler days when groups of all ages go out into the woods to catch a glimpse of these passing bits of color. They stay but a short time and then move on, replenished with food, to the cooler coniferous forests to the north. We'll not see them 'til they return in the fall with their confusing - colored young passing through on their way to the tropics far to the south. Perhaps the islands of the Caribbean or South America will be their winter home. Enjoy the Outdoors One does not have to be a specialist to enjoy the birds that move into our area and are more easily identified. Any- one with a bit of patience can enjoy this spectacle of spring and usually right in his own backyard. Panoramas are fine but closeups truly bring out the wonders of nature. A closeup look into a cherry Focus on Nature blossom reveals a miniature flower with its own beauty and charm. To help bring the green- backed heron right up to my eyes a pair of binoculars lets me watch him stalk for goldfish in my pond. Then I catch the sight of a chick- adee with a mouthful of rabbit fur on his way to one of my bird boxes where he'll insulate his nest for the coming events. I am able to walk up to a robin that has built his nest on a low branch in one of our evergreens. It's these wondrous views that race across my mind and make my day that much more exciting. As I write a kingfisher flies out from his perch overlooking the pond. He's been fishing for goldfish, too. Kingfishers have already started to nest in the steep banks throughout our East End. They prefer to have a waterfront view but if one is not available they'll build in a bank at the town landfill or a sand and gravel pit. Their hole is rather large (approximately four inches) and so should not be confused with the smaller holes of the rough- winged and bank swallows who also like waterfront views for their bank homes. At the end of the kingfisher tunnel, three or four feet into the bank, is the nesting cavity. Here the young are born and fed the small fish the parents have captured in their spectacular dives. Where there is no perch to observe the Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh COMMON TERN —After a winter fishing in South America or the Caribbean these small birds will again attempt to nest on our busy beaches. Special concern by the public will be needed in helping them through this difficult nesting period. , Birdwatcher's Companion SZAA mow _Z0~ • Binoculars • Bird Field Guides • Bird Baths • Spotting Scopes • Bird Recordings • Bird Bath Accessories • Field Tripods • Bird Houses • Bird Artwork • Bird Seed/Suet • Purple Martin Houses • Bird Jewelly • Bird Seed Cans • Bird Posters • Bird Calls • Bird Canlings • Bird Videos • Bird T- Shirts • Bird Thermometers • Bird Ornaments • Bird Mugs Over 50 different types of bird feeders including Droll Yankee, The'Avarfum' Blydfeeder, Duncraft and the famous Audubon Squirrel Proof Feeder. North Road (County Road 48) Southold Sat., Mon., Tues., Fri: 10 -5 765 -5872 Sun. 12 -5 • Closed Wed. a Thurs. fish, the kingfisher often is seen hover- ing in the air as it awaits the proper moment to plunge into the water below. One of the great sounds of the outdoors is the rattle the kingfisher usually makes as he flies away after being dis- turbed from his fishing post. Terns Were Once Common Also moving in at this time of year are the terns we see throughout the East End. Terns are those wonderfully small, whitish birds that dive into the water in pursuit of small fish. They are the fish- erman's friend for when a group of them are diving it means fish below. They nest on the sand and gravel beaches and are having a very difficult time in to- day's world. Their nesting habitat is be- ing constantly taken over by man. When I was young we had terns nesting wherever there was a vacant beach and, believe me, we had many of them. To- day most of our beaches are pockmarked with jetties and groins and in the sum- mertime overrun with people, dogs, and vehicles. In the hodgepodge of progress these threatened and endangered species are being pushed out. They nested here on our beaches long before man ever set foot on Long Island and today we find them fighting for survival. So serious has their plight become they have caught the eye of the federal govern- ment, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Na- tional Audubon Society, Nature Con- servancy and Cornell University. All are supplying dollars and manpower in the hopes of saving these dwindling species. Just last week I traveled with one of the tern wardens from Nature Conser- vancy to the various tern and piping plover sights in my area. The piping plover, by the way, is another endan- gered species that nests along our beaches and is also being protected. These tern wardens will be trying to ed- ucate the public as to the dangers of disturbing nesting sites with literature, signs, fencing and staking off areas. Last year they ,had a similar program and it worked very well because the majority of the public has cooperated in this last - ditch effort to save these endangered species. Spring brings with it hope for a whole new generation of migrants from the south. It's up to us to protect their habitat wherever it is, be it woods, open fields, wetlands or beaches. They are all important, for without them there will be no new generation for us to enjoy and our children to look forward to. 4 � AY ALC�fO y We specialize in auctions of antiques, fine arts * * and sporting collectibles. N Paintings • Fumiture • Bronzes • Porcelains • silver • Rugs Americana • Decoys • Firearms • Fishing Collectibles, etc. ESTATE AUCTIONS CONDUCTED ON LOCATION • PURCHASE OF ESTATES OR SINGLE ITEMS • CONSIGNMENTS SOLICITED • APPRAISALS (516) 878 -2909 We conduct ANTIQUES AND FINE ARTS auctions in Huntington every six weeks, on East End during the summer. CALL US TO BE PUT ON OUR MAILING LIST BRING YOUR ITEM(S) TO OUR GALLERY FOR A FREE APPRAISAL South Bay Auctions, Inc. 485 Montauk Highway, East Moriches, NY 11940 HENRY BROGGI ISETTE TALPE Auctioneer Gallery Director