February 07, 1980 - MeadowlarkFebruary 7, 1980
MEADOWLARK
focus on nature
by Paul Stoutenburgh
Eight, nine or ten days of temperatures
down in the teens surely let you know winter
is here. Great windrows of slush ice have
piled up along the Sound shore. Where once
dark rocks stood guard along the water's
edge, now only mounds of white lie quietly
surrounded by the pulsing mush of winter
ice.
In our bays the ice is waiting to creep out
from its sheltered shores as soon as the wind
and waves subside. It then can lay claim to
all.
If you get out and
get involved
the winter world
is yours to enjoy.
Our creeks have already frozen over from
one shore to the other, and men and boys
with their eel spears and axes pockmark the
ice where they work. This eeling through the
ice is no easy task and is not always a
rewarding one. Should you find the "spot"
where the eels lie dormant in the winter's
mud, you'll be rewarded twofold. One in the
tun of getting the eels through this ancient
baymen's skill, and the other when you eat
those most succulent winter treats.
Each day has been bright and clear and
cold. Out back the pasture's green has
merged into a maze of browns. The dull
green of the pines along its edge gives no
inkling of life that awaits the spring.
Farther out in the farmer's field I see a
flock of meadowlarks. They busy them-
selves probing for wild seeds here and there,
and should I try to approach them so that I
might see that brilliant yellow vest and jet
black chevron, I find them turning their
camouflaged backs to me and seemingly
disappearing from sight. How beautifully
nature has blended them into the
surroundings for their protection.
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RIVERHEAD NEW YORK
Not a Lark at All
It's hard to think that a meadowlark is not
a lark at all, but a member of the blackbird
family; but then who would have thought
that the oriole, cowbird and even the
bobolink are also members of the blackbird
family?
Almost everyone who has walked the
open, grassy fields here on Long Island has
at one time or another flushed these quail -
like birds from underfoot. Their quick,
fluttering flight, with frequent glides bet-
ween, and the obvious white -edged tail
feathers separate them quickly from the
more chunky quail.
Years ago, when it was common for
farmers to plant cattle corn for fodder, they
often left the stalks in the field and the
stubble unturned. This made ideal feeding
grounds and you could almost always find
meadowlarks gleaning these fields during
the winter.
Another place you can usually find
meadowlarks is in the great salt marshes
along our shores. This is particularly true of
those wonderful areas out in Orient where I
believe they not only feed but nest.
For those who do not even wish to leave
their car, they can find meadowlarks in the
large cloverleaf at the end of the Ex-
pressway in Riverhead. This 60 -acre
complex is a favorite spot for them to nest
and feed, and with a little luck you can
usually find one perched on one of the stakes
along the roadside.
Difficult Photography
Years ago I got an excellent chance to see
this bird close at hand as I photographed it
in an old cornfield along Skunk Lane. It had
snowed a few days before and so most of the
ground was covered with a mantle of white.
The few spots that were open were behind
MEADOWLARK - -This quail -like bird, with its bright yellow vest and
black chevron, can often be flushed in our open fields and marshes.
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
the stubbles of cornstalks, and it was here I
set up my camera and blind.
Taking pictures from a small cramped
blind is difficult enough under normal
conditions; but in the cold it's an almost
intolerable situation. The first to fatigue
were my toes. Wiggling them as much as I
could didn't seem to help. Then my cramped
legs started to ache under the cold, and to
top it off my fingers, which I thrust into my
jacket to keep warm, got entangled as I
quickly pulled them out to snap the pic-
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Racquetball,
Anyone?
A move is under way to establish a private racquetball /squash /hand-
ball club on the North Fork. So far, more than 50 families have
expressed an interest in becoming charter members. We are talking
about building two regulation courts with locker -room facilities in the
Cutchogue- Peconic- Southold area.
Shares will be priced between $500 and $1,000 -- depending on the
number of charter members. If you are prepared to make that kind of
investment to establish the North Fork's first indoor racquet club,
please return the attached coupon immediately to Racquetball, Box F,
Greenport, N.Y. 11944.
El Yes, I'm interested in joining the new racquet club.
Name:
Street:
Village:
Phone Number: _
Zip:
Here are the names and addresses of other families and individuals who
might be interested:
ture .... and I scared the bird away. Luck was
with me, or perhaps it was a hungry bird
that stayed around until I finally got the
picture you see above.
Looking back, I often wonder if I'd do it
again. Most likely the answer would be
"yes ", for there's always that challenge,
whether it's a cold winter walk on the beach,
or the sometimes difficult task of chopping
wood or the spearing of eels - - if you get out
and get involved, the winter world is yours
to enjoy.
Jose h
p
renshaw mason
contractor
Foundations — Patios
Sidewalks — Concrete Driveways
Brick or Stone Fireplaces
Mattituck, N.Y. 298 -8950
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Henry W Block
Let's fight inflation
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This year we'll prepare your
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—let's fight inflation together.
HER BLOCK
THE INCOME TAX PEOPLE
COLONIAL SHOPPING CENTER
122 Front Street, Ureenport
477 -2266
Also in Sears during, regular
most major store hours
IfAlO.MOMUQANDOO
203 Main Street, Riverhead
RIVERHEAD, RTE. 58
(Behind Neptune Diner)
727 -0175