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January 12, 1989 - Winter Companions: Ice and WaterfowlJanuary 12, 1989/The Suffolk Times /Page 9A Winter Companions: Ice and Waterfowl Ov Paul Stoutenburah The cold snap we had last week surely let you know who's in charge of the outdoors and, as it is said, there's not too much you can do about it. At least today we're usually forewarned of what's coming. Watching the weather channel and the path of the jet stream, one could pretty well tell we were in for a real old- Focus on Mature time cold snap. Seems to me, though, that the cold years ago lasted longer and froze things up more than today. My grandson has been hoping for ice to try out new skates his uncle gave him for Christmas, but just about the time it freezes hard enough to skate it rains or thaws. When the temperature drops to five and 10 degrees and the northwest winds howl at 15 -20 mph the best place to see this winter rampage is over on the North Shore, particularly where there are rocks. We don't have rocky outcrop- pings here on Long Island as they do along Connecticut and Rhode Island shorefronts where rugged bedrock comes right to the surface. Rather the rocks we have along the North Shore are boulders of all sizes and sorts left here when the great glaciers retreated some 10- 15,000 years ago. Proof of their journey is the roundness that comes from the grinding of the glacial till as it moved southward out of that frozen vastness, only to stop here and then retreat, forming Long Is- land. Today, through eons of time, ero- sion has washed away the sand and de- bris leaving the stones and rocks we as- sociate with the North Shore. Cold Wind Paints Shoreline During the summer the ocean beach of the South Shore is fanned by the warm, moist, southwest winds; during the winter the northwest winds tear at the North Shore, dramatically eroding each year. It's here you'll see winter's icy spray paint and plaster the rocks into smothering shapes of roundness. The area becomes a fairyland of white even though not a flake of snow has fallen. As far back as the spray can reach, it covers everything with ice crystals. It's impossible to tell where the water edge meets the land. If the temperature keeps in the single digits for any length of time and the wind still churns up the sea, an icy slush will form and blanket the waves, subduing them as they move toward the shore. It's like some giant pudding mix in motion. This winter ice makes it difficult for ducks, so they depart for open water further out or in a rip where the moving tide won't let the sea ice form. The faster the tide rip, the less likely you'll have ice for they are turbulent and ever - changing, bringing up warm water to replace the chilled surface water. It's in the deep, offshore churning ar- eas and in these tide rips that ducks head when ice is making up in the cold, shallow areas. Of course, there has to be a food supply on the bottom or the ducks will leave and seek feeding grounds somewhere else. I remember this well for a few years back the bays froze over and the only open water was where the tide ran swiftly. It was there the sea ducks, the Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh FROZEN SPRAY — Whenever the temperature plummets to the single figures and the wind whips out of the northwest for any length of time, you can plan to see the North Shore of Long Island covered in a mantle of frozen spray. scoters, the goldeneyes, the mergansers, the buftlehead and others gathered to feed and frolic. Ducks Easily Identified Many of our winter ducks are quite handsome and easily identified. The lit- tle black -and -white ones we see in our creeks and bays are the buffleheads, or as the hunters might call them, butterballs. The male red - breasted merganser in his handsome black -and -white coat is easily recognized. Larger than the bufflehead, he has a long, thin, pencil -like bill that sets him aside from most other ducks. The female is a drab bird with a reddish head and brownish -grey sides. These divers are sometimes called shelldrakes by the locals. Our three scoters are less colorful but with a pair of binoculars easily recog- nized. The surf scoter has a white patch on the back of its head, giving it the local name skunkhead. It also has a very gaudy orangish bill. The white- winged scoter can easily be recognized in flight by its white wing patch. The most difficult to identify is the black scoter that is entirely black. Scoters are big birds and continually diving for food along the bottom. There are others but if you can get to know these few, you'll be well on your way to identifying most of our winter ducks found in our bays here on the East End. One never tires of watching our waterfowl whether on the ocean, bay or inland pond. Already some ducks are showing off in exotic mating rituals. We just watched a red - breasted mer- ganser the other day bobbing its head up and down with its bill raised high to the sky in some mysterious courtship dis- play. To us it was most comical. A friend called last week telling me he had seen six Harlequin ducks off the rocks at Plum Island. This is what all birders look for in the winter. It's the highlight of the season to see these visitors from the far, far north. Many a season goes by when we never see one. Most agree that the Harlequin, along with the wood duck, is the most spec- tacular in color of waterfowl. It is a small duck usually associated with swift waters and rocky shores, even in its nesting grounds in far north Labrador and Greenland. The parents choose the rush of turbulent streams to bring up their young. I remember seeing them in Iceland in just such a frenzy of water. Around here the place to see them is at Montauk, Orient and other rocky, rough water spots. It's a duck I remem- ber from my youth when thumbing through that wondrous volume called Birds of America. I can still see Plate 19 with its wintery painting of Harlequins and Eiders by Fuertes. It's just such re- membrances that have kindled my inter- est and I hope yours, too, in the world around us. JANUARY SALE! 30% off 40% off Jackets 2 -piece knits Sweaters Sweat Suits Bras & Panties Silk Blouses 30% off 20% off Dressy Dresses All Handbags Mon. - Tues., Thurs., Sat., 10:30 - 5:30 Wed, 12:30 - 5:30, Fri., 10:30 - 7