June 24, 1982 - The Count Goes OnJune 24, 1982
The Ntwo- Rebietv
The Count Goes On
Barbara and I, like many others, had
planned to do some outdoor work on the
weekend. We were to check on how the
ospreys survived after the big downpour.
Well, we all know what has happened
lately on our Saturdays... it rains. Despite
all our problems of weather, we went on.
At one location, we were to check a
group of nests along the edge of a lake. It's
so much easier by water than tramping
through high under -brush where limbs and
branches obscure your vision. Using a
canoe, we could see more clearly from out
on the water. But despite our good
intentions, the rain and fog made visibility
almost impossible.
Every once in a while there'd be a break,
and we'd see the big bulky nests high in the
treetops. We could tell the active nests
from the alarm call of the parent birds.
These shrill calls and their milling about
were the signs we were looking for.
Yet all too often we'd come upon a pair
of birds merely sitting nearby the nest.
They flew away as we approached, telling
us the nest was empty and had failed. Far
too many were abandoned and in a short
time we knew the rains had taken their
toll. Surely the population when tallied up
will be a grim story for the ospreys this
year.
It seemed odd to feel confused on that
small lake. But with the heavy fog and
drizzle we soon were lost. The wind was
our only point of reference. I'm sure if
anyone had seen us paddling about on that
dreary day they would have thought us
crazy.
Every once in a while a huge head of a
snapping turtle would surface to check us
out. Some of the heads seemed as large as
grapefruit. Snapping turtles can raise
havoc with small ducks and geese. It's the
one turtle that man and beast should stay
clear of. It has been said one can snap off
the end of a broom handle, to say nothing
of what it might do to your toe.
Snappers like most turtles lay their eggs
in warm sandy places. Twenty to 50 eggs
are laid in a small cavity that the female
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digs with her hind feet and then
laboriously deposits them one by one. No
further attention or care is given by the
parent after laying. In about two months,
if the temperature has been warm enough,
they'll hatch out of their leathery shells
and be on their own.
Raccoons, Opossums, Skunks
Raccoons, opossums and skunks, along
with the clever fox enjoy turtle eggs of
any kind -- and snapping turtles are no
exception. This is one way the population
of this ornery turtle is kept in check. When
meat and fish are not available, the
snapper will eat almost any kind of green.
Once I saw one eating a skunk cabbage
stalk, leaf and all. It reminded me of
someone eating a piece of celery. Should
the season be cool and incubation
incomplete by the end of the summer, the
eggs will winter over until next year, when
the process will be continued. Nature has a
way of completing what it sets out to do.
Part of our weekend task was also to
count breeding birds in our territory. All
this would go into the five -year bird atlas
being done throughout New York State. In
the open fields we came across the elusive
grasshopper sparrow that's becoming
harder and harder to find as our open
fields diminish. It has a very high - pitched,
almost insect -like call that is way beyond
my hearing. It's a good thing Barbara's
ears are so sharp; she could clearly pick
up its call. There were lots of song
sparrows about with their dark stick -pin
spot on their chest. Like most sparrows,
they nest on the ground and we wondered
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Page 11
BROWN THRASHER -- Sometimes confused with the thrush, this larger
and more powerful singer usually nests in low shrubbery and thickets.
At Orient State Park, it was found nesting on the ground amongst the
ground pink. Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
how they did in the cold rainy weeks that
had just passed.
In the woods we found the wood thrush
with its spotted under parts. We had hoped
to hear its song for it's one of the most
beautiful in the natural world, but the fog
and rain had dampened most bird calls.
Thrashers Cavorting About
We did see a pair of brown thrashers
chasing each other, which meant they
would be breeding in the vicinity. The
brown thrasher is one of the first birds I
photographed years ago. I think it was this
bird that really started my wife thinking
about what she'd gotten into by marrying
me. I had her hold a branch back while I
was photographing the nest of a thrasher.
But the thrasher didn't particularly care
for her presence and harassed her and
drove both of us away.
Later we were able to photograph this
handsome singer out at Orient State Park,
where we found it nesting on the ground.
Usually the thrasher nests in low shrubs
and thickets, but out there it was nesting
alongside the beautiful low ground pink
that is found blossoming throughout the
park.
Looking back, I'd have to say our
weekend was a success. We did survey 30
osprey nests. Our results were
disheartening, but those losses will heal
themselves in time. Our experience in the
fog and rain on the lake showed us a world
few ever experience. When added up with
the sun coming out on Sunday, our
weekend wasn't half bad.
PAULSTOUTENBURGH
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