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March 13, 1980 - There's Always a Story on a Winter WalkSECOND SECTION March 13, 1980 There's Always a Story on a Winter Walk Most of the signs of spring are visual ones, things we see. But there's a whole world of signs that we hear. Later this month you'll hear the spring peepers from down in the wet spots. The honking of geese as they start on their northward migration to nest is another familiar sound of spring, but the one I find as the easiest and earliest is the burzzeree of the male red - winged blackbird. These staunch ad- vanced guards have already staked out their nesting sites and are declaring it to the world from the highest limb. Each year the male redwings precede the females by two or three weeks. Sometimes they are so early they are caught in one of our brief snowstorms of March. How fortunate for both man and beast that this year our winter has been a mild one. It's weather like this that is almost too good to be true, and gives us the feeling that spring surely was in the making this week. The time I get up in the morning is more or less dependent on the kind of day it is. My automatic wakeup usually arouses me just about sunrise and if there isn't any sun it's real easy to just roll over and get a few more winks. On the other hand if I find the sun touching the top of the trees it's time to get up and make the most of the day. So it was this Sunday morning. To catch the mood of spring my wife and I got up early and took a walk along the bay. This would probably be our last winter walk. The wind was still out of the northwest and it had a chill that made us put our collars up and walk with our hands in our pockets. The beach was familiarly strewn with the many shells and grasses we associate with the Peconic. All friends and familiar sights. The bay itself had that cool gray color that even if you're inside reminds you it is still cold out there. As a matter of fact the sun was having difficul- ty getting through the gray clouds that were constantly being pushed before it. Where had spring gone? we thought as we traveled up the beach. Back in the woods at our house it had seemed so much different. Early Morning Sailboat As we walked slow but sure along Nassau Point we wondered about the lives and stories of the people in a jet that was heading west high above us. Their world goes on just as ours does, each in its own way. When we turned around and headed back we saw a sailboat out in the bay "We'll do your Short Form for only $7.5W Henry W. Block Let's fight inflation together." This year we'll prepare your 1040A Short Form for only $7.50* Any state or local return is extra. So ... come to H &R Block —let's fight inflation together. HaR BLOCK THE INCOME TAX PEOPLE COLONIAL SHOPPING CENTER 122 Front Street, Greenport 477 -2266 RIVERHEAD, RTE. 58 (Behind Neptune Diner) 727 -0175 Also in during Sears regular most major ,store hours 977,no"uci "co 203 Main Street, Riverhead ANGLERFISH OR MONKFISH - -For some unknown reason during the winter these relics from the past are washed ashore and provide food for the gulls and foxes that ply our beaches. Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh G?JW U�'u4�G'l� toward Robins Island. How unusual for a sailboat to be out in these early hours in the mouth of March but there it was heading downwind, trailing a small dinghy. A lone figure sat huddled up in the cockpit in yellow rain gear. Who could it be? There were others besides ourselves who took advantage of the coming day. We wondered. We waved warmly to the stout soul, whoever it was, but no return came forth. Again we speculated about this lone sailor. Had he come out from the city to get the full share of the day and his true love? Or was it a routine delivery of a boat by some hand who cussed the trip and was only interested in getting it delivered to its destination as soon as possible? We Don't start your tax return without a Royal 300PD Printing /Display Calculator. � Get your tax refund earlier. Prepare your 1040 with a Royal 300PD. This 12 -digit printing and display calculator also functions as an adding machine. Time - saving features include a grand total memory, an item counter and per- cent calculations. Triplet spacing in tape printout and commas in the digitron display make answers easy to read. Seiko printer for faster entries and results. Come in today for a demonstration. DUNKERLEY'S Main Road, Southold 765 -3226 137 Main St., Southampton 283 -9080 preferred to think, however, that it was a new boatowner and he was riding high on the excitement of his first command, captain of a ship and off to new adventure. Probably we'll never know, but it warmed our hearts to think about it as we headed back to the car. Later that day found us on another beach, but this time it was on a mission of installing an osprey platform for the pending return of those magnificent birds later this month. It was still blowing from the northwest and by 11 o'clock the temperature actually seemed to be cooler. We dug fast to keep warm until the hole was deep enough for the great platform and pipe to be put in place. These platforms have proved most rewarding and last year we had encouraged three pairs of birds to use them, one in Mattituck, one in Cutchogue and one in Orient. One of Nature's Tragedies While we were there my wife, with her super sharp eyes, discovered one of nature's tragedies. On the beach were the remains of a turtle's nest. Evidently some time ago it had been dug up by a fox or raccoon and the shells lay scattered about half - eaten. Probably it was the eggs of a snapping turtle or one of the many diamondback turtles we see popping their heads up in our creeks and bays. They go above high water to lay their eggs in the warm sand where, if left unmolested, they hatch out with the aid of the sun. Should they be laid too late in the season they will lie dormant in the sand through the winter and hatch out in the spring. Evidently this was just such a nest, for inside the broken egg we could see the tiny shell case of the turtle, now dried up and dead. So small and withered were they we could not identify them. It would have been interest- ing to know the full story of when and who laid the eggs and when and who made a meal of them. These last winter beach walks before spring are well remembered by my wife and I. We've often taken them along the ocean beach. Each area, bay or ocean, has its story to tell and it only takes a little practice to seek out these adventures. The photograph shown here of the remains of an anglerfish we saw on one of our winter walks. Although ugly and repulsive to many, its flesh is extremely fine and is in great demand in other countries. We in this country have not become hungry enough or the food scarce enough to fully utilize what we call trash fish today. We're jtist beginning to. This anglerfish or monkfish has the fascinating ability to bring smaller fish into close range by dangling a flag -like lure at the end of a long thin spine directly over its wide mouth. As the unsuspecting prey comes to check it out the huge mouth opens and with one siphon -like gulp draws the fish in. Two rows of needle -like teeth make sure the unlucky fish doesn't wiggle away. Once, while diving in the Sound for lobsters, I came across one of these huge fish. It was lying in wait for a victim. It blended in perfectly with the bottom and the only reason I saw it was I caught its eyes with mine. We stared at each other and I silently said, "Adieu ". Beach walks, whether in winter, spring, summer or fall are always rewarding. We have 100 miles of walking beach on the East End, all relatively clean and pure. Why don't you take a last winter's walk along your favorite beach? -- for before you know it -- spring will be here. PAUL STOUTENBURGH low" ow WC011LION NMI? IPM 3OUT iota W. `� St O We sell, service, & install airtight wood & coal /� stoves & accessories �v Metalbestos & Brick Chimneys Chimney Cleaning Equipment f, �1 Member Wood Energy Institute 15161283 -6622 Southampton Stove Co. West Main Street„ Southampton, N.Y. LANGE DANISH AIRTIGHT WOOD, COAL AND COOK STOVES - RED, BLUE, GREEN, BLACK, ENAMEL, BLACK CAST IRON NEW MAKES & MODELS Free Flow Russo Chappee Frytonden Comforter Hearthstone Soapstone Cawley Kresno Efel Lida Energy Harvester Nashua Fisher Garrison Olsberg Weso Petit Godin H.S. 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