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April 19, 1990 - The Stoutenburghs and Ospreys ReturnC12 The Suffolk Times • April 19, 1990 . The Stoutenburghs and Ospreys Return By Paul Stoutenburah Toward the end of February Barbara and I left on a trip to Texas that lasted more than five weeks. We purchased a used camper to fit in our pickup truck and as the hours for departure neared, a list of last- minute chores was checked off. It was too cold to fill our 10- gallon water tank for fear it would freeze; so the first night we took to a motel in Front Royal, Va. From then on we spent every night in our camper (some nights were mighty chilly going down) staying in state and national parks. I remember our first night in the cam- per at Panther Creek in Tennessee where the campsites were not open because they were afraid of the above- ground pipes freezing. Here, true southern hos- pitality showed itself for we were per- mitted to pull up alongside the heated restrooms and plug in our extension cord so that the little quartz heater our kids had given us as a going -away pre- sent could be used. That night deer walked right up to our trailer and were still in the fields when we awoke the next morning. Along the Coast Our plan was to continue along the Gulf Coast from where we had left off last year at the Gulf Islands National Seashore opposite Pensacola, Fla. We would work our way west along the coast taking in as much bird activity as possible. The plan worked fine for the first week or so as we reacquainted our- selves with brown and white pelicans, the various ducks of the area and, of course, my favorites, the then- migrating shorebirds. But our plans changed when the weather clouded up and a slow- moving low moved in. According to the weather forecast, it was going to hang around for a week or so. That wouldn't be much fun; so we got out the map and Read all about it The Suffolk Times 124 FRONT s1RE] GREENPORT DELIVERY AVAILS- - 477 -1360 Focus on Nature drew up a change of plan. We'd drive across Texas to Big Bend National Park. Everything in Texas is done on a grand scale, including the length of the roads as we soon found out. It seemed we drove forever. But the truck functioned perfectly and the cam- per was more than adequate. It was a real luxury compared to our past tenting years. Big Bend National Park is done on a gigantic scale. From the Rio Grande that borders Mexico to the south it spreads for thousands of acres to the east, north and west. It has deserts, mountains, forests, rivers and much more. We camped in the mountains and in the desert and we moved throughout the whole park for the next week or so. We even took a raft trip down the Rio Grande through the spectacular Santa Elena Canyon. What an awe - inspiring trip that was; huge limestone cliffs towering above us, blue sky all along, deep shadows along the walls, colors changing as the rocks reflected the varying light from the deep canyon walls, canyon wrens singing along the crags, wildflowers growing where wildflowers seemed not to have a chance. The size and shape made you feel insignificant as you drifted along. There was quiet much like a church and, for people like myself, we were truly there. Wildflowers, Wildflowers After a week of taking pictures of vermilion flycatchers and roadrunners that darted here and there through our campsite, we moved back down along the coast, stopping off at a reservoir or preserve or forest or state park. All the time we kept as mobile as possible so we could pick up at any time and move to be off should a new birding area ma- terialize. All along the way Barbara had tine selection — sines and spirits Case discounts ork p 'V Re5tauraut There are no strangers here...just friends you haven't met. Luncheon Menu now available Noon - 5 Daily Specials North Road, Greenport •.477 -1338 Open Tuesday - Sunday Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh OSPREY BUILDING— During the high winds of early April this osprey nest broke its pole and crashed to the ground. With the help of marine contractor Larry Tuthill and friends, the platform was rebuilt and within 15 minutes the ospreys were back. ............. . .................. me stopping to check wildflowers, which were becoming spectacular along the roadsides. Lady Bird Johnson has done her work well and wildflowers along the road would be something our state would do well to follow. If it wasn't flowers, it was the chachalaca, a Mexican pheasant, we'd photograph or white - winged doves, and at one place we went to see the whooping cranes, those lovely, huge white cranes that winter in Texas. After five weeks on the road we ar- rived home only to awake the next morning to a freak snowfall on April 6. As I walked around the back pasture on my way to feed the cow I couldn't help but marvel at how easy man has been able to move around on this planet of ours. One minute we were in the sunny south and within a few days we were in winter's grip in the north. It took a bit of catching up on mail and other things but within a week we seemed to be functioning normally. We even had an emergency call about an osprey platform that had blown down and required immediate attention. The metal pole had snapped in the middle and the huge nest destroyed on the ground below. Ospreys have the habit of returning to the same nest site each year and rebuilding on the old. This can lead to disaster, particularly if the pair has built in a tree where rotten limbs give way under accumulated nest building. Available Help The call I received was from a man who overlooks the nesting site. I went to investigate immediately to see what could be done. The time is getting close to egg laying and I didn't want any tragedies to occur to this pair of now - bomelecss buds As, i vvatked out tn . in- vestigate I noticed a large barge down the way working on a dock. It was quite near the osprey nest. As I got closer I noticed it was an old friend, marine con- tractor Larry Tuthill. Knowing his in- terest and concern, I approached him with the problem of the downed nest. "No problem" he said. "We'll take care of that." And with a few quick orders "Get that," "Carry this," "Bring this along," he and his able man picked up a locust post 20 feet long, put it on their shoulders and walked it over to where the nest was blown down. They returned to get another section and then dug into the ground and made it secure. By this time we had collected some by- standers willing to help. By using the one .pole buried deep in the ground as the main support, they ran a bolt through the 20 -foot pole and through the main support. This acted as a ful- crum. I worked quickly on the top to make a platform, tying some sticks together to resemble a nest. Then with all the help we could gather, we grunted and groaned to push the pole upright. Once upright, another hole was drilled and a bolt run through and the job was finished. It was remarkable to see the cooperation of ev- eryone. I was proud of my young grand- son who had come along to help, and he did, for he handed us this and that, got the shovels and even did some of the digging. I was home. Things were still going on as usual and the nice part of it all was that the good people on the East End were still concerned and willing to help out the natural world. P.S. By the time we picked up our tools and walked back to where Larry was working, the ospreys were back on the platform carrying on their life as if nothing -had happened.: _ - - - . M.