April 22, 1982 - The Shore Birds ReturnSECOND SECTION The 6tiffolh Timeg APRIL 22,1982
The Shore Birds Return
Last month when my wife and I were in
Florida we visited a wonderful wildlife
preserve at Merritt Island on the east
coast. It was near where we watched the
fabulous launch of the space shuttle with
its long tail of orange flame and billowing
white smoke. Much of the area is flat and
swampy and therefore was overlooked by
developers. With luck and foresight, some
special people acted quickly enough to
save thousands of acres that make up this
magnificent wildlife refuge. It shows what
can happen when people work together for
a cause.
At one area just off the causeway were
mud flats that teamed with bird life. There
were white pelicans, Louisiana herons,
great egrets, white ibis, terns and gulls of
all kinds -- plus many others, but what
thrilled me most was the abundance of
shore birds. These were the small birds
that we see during migration along the
beaches, mud flats, sand bars and open
areas throughout the eastern seaboard.
These shore birds had just returned from
their winter vacation down south, some as
far away as troubled Argentina and some
along the sand bars in the Amazon. All
along this vast route, the shore birds spent
their winter.
There's an inner urge to head
northward, ever northward, and some
more anxious than others have already
started to show up in our area. Yesterday
when I went out for a brief trip into the
creek, a pair of yellowlegs took off
screaming a warning to all that a stranger
was approaching. These handsome birds
have a habit of continually bobbing up and
down. Not only do they have long legs, they
also have a long bill. They, like most shore
birds, are merely passing through.
Later in the day, as I walked up back
past the pond, a common snipe, another
type of shore bird took off from the pond's
edge. Eventually their flight northward
will wind up in northern Canada, or
Hudson Bay, or even as far north as
Greenland.
Many Shore Birds Not Seen
Many of the shore birds we don't even
see as they frequent the outer islands and
sand bars along our south shore. During
their brief season up north they nest in the
wet boggy areas that team with insect life.
It's here the young will have little trouble
finding food and it is here they will build up
energy for their long trip back down south.
At one time there were endless lines of
shore birds hunted each year as they
passed through on their long migration.
Market gunners with oversized guns and
no limit bags almost wiped them out. In
those days there was never a thought that
there could be an end to the endless
WaC�M s�C�
streams of shore birds that passed through
our eastern shores. Partly greed and
partly ignorance was responsible for the
slaughter. When wiser minds finally
prevailed, laws were passed protecting all
shore birds. It came in the nick of time;
some had already become extinct. The
vast majority held on and it is this
remnant we will see this season passing
through our island.
It seems odd that when laws were passed
to protect the shore birds they left out the
common snipe. It's such a small and
insignificant bird I can't see why anyone
would want to bother with it. Perhaps they
left it on the hunting list because it travels
alone rather than in flocks. Once flushed, it
is difficult to hit for its flight is fast and
there always seems to be some obstruction
between you and the bird. A greater
danger than the hunter is the loss of
habitat. Man is possessed with the desire
to fill any wet or boggy area and it is these
areas that the snipe will be found. Let's
hope there are enough concerned citizens
who understand the value of these areas
and will stand up and be counted when
there's a move to destroy them.
Goldfish Awake from Winter's Sleep
Later in the day when the sun came up
and bathed the pond in sparkle and
warmth, it lured the goldfish to the top.
Last year I thought I had lost them all
during the severe cold and ice. When they
first appear they always swim about the
surface where the water's the warmest.
Most of the time they seem to be lapping
the surface trying to get air. Perhaps after
the long stay in their cold winter tomb they
need a breath of fresh air. Years ago I put
them in the pond to keep the mosquitoes
down and since then they have performed
well, eating the larva as fast as they hatch.
Already around the edges of the pond,
the wild yellow iris are showing their
blades of green. These are less common
than the blue iris which are found almost
everywhere there is a wet spot. The yellow
are much more difficult to find. The
Peconic River has them, as well as
isolated spots on both the North and South
Forks.
And so each day spring gives us a new
and exciting addition to our world. The
rhubarb has popped up in the garden, the
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SNIPE - -Find a wet fresh water bog or pond edge and sooner or later dur-
ing the spring and fall migrations the common snipe will visit it, probing
for worms with his long well- adapted bill. Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
yellow - flowered dandelions are attracting
the bees, and the sun's warmth has
penetrated the woodland floor, where
already new green probes are starting to
show up.
Again our creek has produced its
flounders that seem to taste better, than
ever, our horses now shun the dry coarse
hay of their winter diet for the new tender
blades of grass they somehow seem to
find.
It seems, everywhere life is anew. Each
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these rewards are what make life
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