March 26, 1981 - Focusing on the Natural World of BermudaSECTION TWO The 6tiffolh Ttmeg MARCH 26, 1981
Focusing on the Natural World of Bermuda
Last week my wife and I had the
pleasure of visiting Bermuda on business.
The big advantage we have is that
wherever we go -- whether it's to River-
head, New York, Bermuda or down in our
own pasture -- the outside world is always
there for us to explore and enjoy.
Even the expressway outside of River-
head afforded us a look at a red - tailed
hawk soaring high above the pine barrens
as we drove to the airport. His sharp eyes,
like miniature telescopes, searched the
area for some movement or sign of life.
Even as we strapped our safety belts on
inside our spacious jetliner and headed up
into the blue yonder, we were able to see a
flight of our familiar herring gulls just
outside the airport. They were scavenging
even there in that busy metropolis of
Kennedy International.
As our plane banked and swung around,
we saw the endless rows of houses,
buildings and roads spread out before us.
Man has surely left his impact on the land.
It was difficult to find any open space at
all. Here and there was a ball field or a golf
course, and always a cemetery. But even
these were few and far between.
We pondered about that world of man-
made bric-a-brac anal realized again how
difficult it must be for the multitudes who
live in that stark situation to have any
direct involvement in the natural world.
Theirs is a world of shopping malls and
gadgets. We are glad we live out on the
east end of Long Island.
Great white clouds loomed ahead, but
only for a moment. Soon we were cruising
comfortably above the white fluff. Looking
down to the blue ocean, the world looked
quiet and serene. That is until our eyes
picked up a long, cream - colored streak.
We were now off the Jersey coast, looking
down on the New York bight where the
garbage and sludge of New York City is
unloaded. This is where it all started. This
is our own dead sea. Twenty five miles of
sterile ocean. I remembered back when I
was a ranger at Fire Island National
Seashore. When the winds and tides were
just right, we would have this filth washed
up on our shores. I was brought back into
the real world and for a moment the magic
of the flight lost some of its charm.
Beautiful Bermuda
Coming into Bermuda was a spectacular
sight. Snow white rooftops nestled among
greenery, huge hotels along the ocean
front, the whole area capped in a spell of
tropical lushness. Here the water is so
clear that cloudiness is a rare exception.
Yet this clear water is much less rich and
productive than our own waters around
Long Island. They have no great tidal
marshes, no meandering creeks or rivers
to feed their bays. Their waters are lifeless
compared to ours. There are fish and spiny
lobsters and a world of exotic miniatures,
but spawning areas, nursery areas and
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rich nutrient waters are not theirs. Our
coastal marshes and bays outrank them
all.
Being an avid birder I was anxious to see
what my first bird would be. No, it wasn't a
brilliantly - colored tropic bird of some sort,
but -- you guessed it -- the common
starling. What was brought to New York in-
the early 1900's has now covered the
northern hemisphere and found its way to
the exotic island of Bermuda. A flock of
these ever -busy birds flew from the field
alongside the runway as our plane taxied
into the terminal. Outside the airport
around the shrubbery we saw another one
of our common introduced birds, the house
sparrow.
Of course, the air was warmer than our
snow squall weather we'd left in New
York, but because of the time of year a
jacket still felt comfortable. The big
change that greets you is the greenery.
Everywhere were tropical plants of one
kind or another. Banana trees hung heavy
with their upturned green fruits. Along
some of the roads the royal palms swayed
high above. Everywhere we had the
feeling that we were in a tropical wonder-
land.
Motorbikes in Abundance
We couldn't quite get adjusted to the left
hand drive of the cars and the motor bikes
of all sizes and descriptions zipping by.
Seems everyone has one -- from the young
to the old, from the worker to the
high- heeled secretary, from the very
visible visitor to the handsome dark -
skinned natives. It seems everyone rides a
motorbike and wears their protective
helmet.
We covered the island in the next four
days traveling mainly by public trans-
portation, which is excellent, and by foot,
which is not so excellent! Walking in
Bermuda is like walking on cement all
day; there is very little soil as you and I
know it. Here we take it for granted. There
it's a high - priced commodity. The island is
made up of coral and therefore everything
is made from that base material. Houses,
even their roofs, roadbeds, and pathways
are all made in one form or another from
coral. This makes for hard walking and
our leg muscles really felt it.
We visited many of Bermuda's natural
areas: parks, inland marshes, and
beaches. They all revealed a treasure
chest of new wonders to us. This being
winter in Bermuda, we realized the birds
and flowers we saw were limited compar-
ed to what would be coming in the next few
months.
Most of Bermuda's birds we saw were
introduced or migrating through. Being a
very small coral atoll and relatively recent
in origin, it has not been able to build up a
native population. Typical of the introduc-
ed species was the colorful flycatcher
called the kiskadee from Trinidad and the
colorful European goldfinch, quite dif-
ferent from our native one.
Migratory ducks seen in one of the
natural areas were the ruddy, shoveler,
mallard and black ducks. The Canada and
snow geese seemed quite out of place.
Snowy and America egrets and green and
Louisiana herons were seen along the edge
of a freshwater pond.
Of course a wide array of new and old
trees were continually added to our list.
We were like excited children on an Easter
egg hunt. Each new plant or tree we found,
each new bird or animal, added to the
excitement of the day. One after the other.
It was a fun trip ... a rewarding trip and it
proved once again that no matter where
you go, if you are involved and conscious of
the world about you, every trip is a
success.
PAULSTOUTENBURGH
LOUISIANA HERON AND SNOWY EGRET - -Most people recognize the snowy egret but few of us have the
opportunity to see the Louisiana heron unless we travel further south. Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
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