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June 26, 1980 - Abundant Wildlife Is Found Along, Water's EdgeSECOND SECTION JUNE 26, 1980 Abundant Wildlife Is Found Along, Water's Edge We live on a creek where the tide pretty much controls our boating activities. Anywhere from half tide to low tide we stay at home, above that we can get out. I suppose it would be nice to always have deep water, but then there are many ad- vantages to our situation. One of the big advantages of low water is that if you can't get out, no one else can get in, so we have a more secluded, less used area at least half of the time. The other big reason that our limited access is an advantage is that because of its inaccessibility and low water we have more wild life than others. The green heron, black- crowned night herons, clapper rails, snowy egrets and oc- casionally the great blue heron, along with a vast array of ducks, can always be found foraging about the marsh edges. Yesterday we had hoped to do some clamming out in the bay, but by the time the tide had come up high enough in our creek to get out it was too deep to do any good clamming. Nevertheless my wife, Barbara being the planner she is, had brought a delightful supper along, so as an alternative we switched our plans and went sailing. The weather was perfect, clear, not too hot and a good breeze from the southwest. Ospreys Doing Well After sailing the bay we headed for Robins Island and about five o'clock dropped the anchor just off the dock on the north end. I was happy to see the osprey on the boathouse doing well. With my binoculars I could see two young and possibly a third, which goes along with the exceptionally good production of that island. This looks like one of the good years for ospreys. One of the main reasons being no long cold, rainy periods this spring, which seems to do in more young birds than any other factor. In back of the island we escaped a cool breeze that seems to be with us this spring, and relaxed in the warm sun in the protection of the island. We were alone. Near the edge of the beach the water was mirror -like. As it reached out into the bay it gradually became rippled until it was completely free of the protection of the island, where it gained its usual bay chop. We were glad to experience this solitude, although in the next week or two this area and others will become a hive of summer activity. That's the way it should be, I guess. But right now we had it to our- selves. We could see and hear the birds of the island. Two cock pheasants strutted across an opening, proud of the part they had played in keeping their generation alive. They are remnants of a day gone by when the island was used as a shooting preserve and pen- raised pheasants were introduced to the area by the thousands. It all brought back memories of when we were younger and a group of us kids stole ashore to explore this forbidden island. I don't think we stayed there more than half an hour because of our fear of being caught. ('rues Pole'Frap Recalled It was my first experience of seeing a pole trap in action. In those early days, when the supply of wildlife was thought to be inexhaustible, it was the custom to kill all predators; and as this was a game preserve hawks were a sure predator for pert- raised pheasants. What I remember so vividly is the pole in the middle of a field with a red - tailed hawk hanging in a trap by its leg. Hawks characteristically perch on high objects, whether it be a pole, tree, or whatever. So to get rid of hawks, old gamekeepers put leg traps on a pole, knowing that sooner or later the hawk would alight on it and, of course, that would be the end of the hawk. Thank goodness, through research and education these old and often cruel ways have been replaced by professional wildlife management concepts which have cleared up many of the myths and mistaken ideas of the past. It seems that when anyMing interferes with man's world his only motion is to eradicate it. Miscalled Wild Canaries A flash of yellow along the shoreline told us the yellow warbler was out foraging for its young. These small, handsome yellow birds, with their light, rusty- streaked breast, are rivaled only by the goldfinch in color. Both are often called wild canaries by many, but of course they are not. The yellow warbler builds a low nest of ex- ceptional beauty, for in it is usually woven the silken fibers of plants. I'm afraid the bird is often the target of the cowbird, and many a young warbler has perished because of the takeover of the larger and more aggressive young cowbird in the nest. From our boat we could catch the rat- tling of a kingfisher as he called from his perch along the shore. Waiting there for some unsuspecting killie to move in the waters below him, he would then plummet into the water in hopes of a meal. They nest in the banks along the west side of the island. These birds also were persecuted by the unknowing sportsman, who thought they were responsible for taking trout and other game fish. They, too, now are protected by law, like the hawk, for the little they carch is but a drop in the bucket. It seems that when anything interferes with man's world his only solution is to eradicate it. It is good to see that we are North Fork Resident Investment Broker Russell E. Mann Direct New York quotation and telephone lines Talk to us now.You could thank us later. PaineWebber MemberSlIT Southold, N.Y. 11071 Southold 'Iel : 765 -3010 YELLOW WARBLER - -This yellow bird is often called the wild canary. It builds a low nest of plant fiber that is often the target of the cowbird. Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh coming out of these dark ages and realizing that each has its place in the scheme of things. There are exceptions,of course; but generally speaking each bird, each animal, each plant, each fish, each insect is a part of a very beautiful system that if understood and worked with, rather than destroyed and misunderstood, our world would be a much better place to live in. I im,sTOuTENBURGH A gway Petroleum b0g& plan paysy pu more interest than many P savings Tans. O may an be an energy icompany but we have the same concern about inflation that you do. That's why we'll pay Agway Budget Payment Plan customers a hefty 8% interest on their average credit balance. The Agway Petroleum Budget Pay- ment Plan eliminates unpredictable heating oil costs by dividing your estimated annual fuel usage into 11 monthly payments. 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