January 29, 1981 - A Walk by the Full MoonSECOND SECTIONje *Uffolh TIMC5 JANUARY 29, 1981
A Walk by the Full Moon
What with the snow on the ground and
the cold temperatures lately, we can
surely say this has been quite a winter for
all. It's been many years since snow has
lasted as long on the ground. It surely
gives the feeling of being in a deep freeze.
It's this kind of winter that northern
birds move in. Proof of this is the scat-
tering reports of evening grosbeaks at
feeders. Some will stay only a day while
others will hang around for months. A
friend of mine in Jamesport is one of the
lucky people whose feeder is busy with
these colorful black, yellow and white
birds every day.
Evening grosbeaks are seed eaters with
powerful ivory colored bills. Few seeds
can be kept in tact with those heavy
crushers. For those who have had the
excitement of a grosbeak invasion at their
feeder, it's an experience long remem-
bered. Flashes of black and white wings
and the unusual yellow of summer make
your eyes want to blink in question. They'll
take no sass from other birds; they sit and
effortlessly flip the casings from the
sunflower seeds onto the ground.
We have them around until winter starts
to thaw and then they leave for the north as
mysteriously as they arrived. Most of their
diet is made up of seeds and buds from
trees and shrubs, and it is this routine of
stop and go during the winter that
hopefully will bring them to your feeder.
During the past week a full moon added
to the glamour of our winter snow. The
spell which moons have a reputation for
triggered the vision of a moonlight walk by
my son. Wanting the exercise, I asked if I
could join him. Within moments, boots
were wrestled on, down jackets and warm
hats found their proper places. Of course
all this activity stirred our sleeping dog.
He was ready for anything. Tail wagging,
he waited at the door.
A Moonlight Walk
Outside the crunch of the snow underfoot
tender shoots.
We walked on and on with lowered
voices as though we were in some sort of
church -like atmosphere. It was so bright
that the stars were washed out of the sky
and it was difficult to find them. Our
direction was due east, which eventually
brought us to the old road heading down to
the bay. Its hard surface now cleared of
snow seemed strangely quiet. Trees now
crowded overhead. Along with telephone
poles and houses, they brought us back
into the real world. We felt almost uneasy
and out of place on the hard road heading
to the beach.
Once there we looked out on the frozen
avhifunasc of thH,hnv_ perfectly flat except
NING GROSBEAKS - -Lucky are those who have these colorful
k and white and flashy yellow birds at their feeders. They visit us
occasionally in the winter from the far north.
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
for its flexible tide edge, the only broken
part. I knew from the cold weather of the
past there must have been six inches of ice
or more on the bay, so I walked out on the
paved ice paralleling the beach. Every
once in a while the dog would swing back to
check us out. He moved like a ghost in the
blurred moonlight. Nothing was left un-
noticed by his quivering nose. He always
made sure we were nearby.
Back To The Woods
Slowly we made a great loop that
brought us to a woods which we walked
through as easily as if by daylight. Once
we were through the woods we found
ourselves at the edge of a marsh. Here the
snow lav deep on top of the bent grass and
we found walking more difficult. It was
here we saw a fox a few weeks ago but
tonight the marsh lay tied up in winter's
white. It seemed nothing would ever move
again until spring. Across the marsh and
UP the bank and we were back in the fields
again.
Home was a far off light among the
trees. Our walk had warmed us up and now
we pushed ahead with open jackets, youth
taking the lead. The moon had done its best
to show us the wonders of a walk in the
snow. A father and son had taken the in-
vitation and drifted through the fairyland
of winter. Amore perfect iV ning would -iv
hard to come by.
PAULSTOUTENBURGH