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July 06, 1995 - A New Generation Is On the Wing10A • The Suffolk Times • July 6, 1995 A New Generation Is On the Wing By Paul Soutenburgh Sitting in our backyard overlooking the pasture, I'm gratified to see all the young birds that have made it so far. What with the damp and cool weather we've been having, I was concerned it was going to be damaging to their sur- vival at this critical time. I first noticed the young of the chick- adees, nuthatches Focus on and woodpeckers. Their fledged Nature young never seem to give the adults a moment's rest. From tree to tree they follow, begging all the time for food. Every once in a while the adult swings around and deposits some morsel in a gaping mouth. The reason we see the young of the chickadees, nuthatches and woodpeckers so early is that they build in cavities (also bird boxes) and have the protection from the cold and rain, giving them a jump start on most other birds. The big old shade tree has its ripe berries already and the birds have found them to their delight. These, along with the sour cherry, give them a good start on their early diet of fruit. I see the wine berries heading up and soon these will be available. When we were kids we always had our own special place to get these lush, easy -to -pick berries. When you do pick them they come off the stem, leaving the cream - colored center behind, and don't they have the protec- tive device in their stickers! The whole limb is a solid array of little thorns. There's nowhere you can grab without being stuck, but then you can usually reach in and get your berries without having to push limbs aside. Doves are Early Nesters Doves are early nesters, too, and we see the young along the sandy road lead- ing to the beach cottage as we drive in. They are learning the game of survival, for you almost run over them as you move along. If you've ever seen a dove's nest it seems to be about the most haphazard thing a bird could build. Some nests are so flimsy that you can look right through them from below and see their eggs. Like pigeons, they do not ■ 1�111101� ■ ww'= 75 Years Ago NUTHATCH FAMILY —Often called the upside -down bird, the nuthatch builds its nest in a cavity or bird box and is one of our earliest nesters. feed their young in the usual robin fash- ion; rather, they regurgitate a milky sub- stance that provides all the nutrients the young will need. They grow fat fast, which is why young, commercially grown pigeons in the form of squabs are a delicacy. The old bandits, the starlings, have fledged their young already and are now working on their second brood. Most people, including myself, don't think much of Mr. Starling for he's a hog at our feeders and wouldn't think twice about snatching a bird's egg or young for a meal, but then he has his good side. He eats Japanese beetle larvae and we see him probing the lawns for these juicy morsels, but right now his claim to fame is that he eats gypsy moth caterpillars, which I have observed right here in our yard. The gypsy moth has defoliated some trees already. Hopefully that's all the damage they'll do. People call and ask what to do to stop them from eating their favorite trees. Gypsy moths were accidentally let go in the wild many, many years ago. A man experimenting with silk moths imported some from overseas, and like many other unwanted pests they escaped and spread July 2, 1920 Land Sold In Forced Sale: Twelve acres of land at Cutchogue sold for nearly $1,000 an acre at a partition sale in Riverhead last week. The plaintiff in the action, Dr. F.D. Peterson, wanted the land for himself, as he already had title to most of it, and a Polish man, Joe Zuhoski, thought the land also looked good to him, so he ran Dr. Peterson 'way up. The referee, Russell E. Lupton, finally struck the land off to Dr. Peterson for $10,300, making it one of the most notable forced sale deals heard of in Suf- folk County in many months. 50 Years Ago July 6, 1945 Jack's Shack to Reopen: For the past three years, due to the war, the bathhouses and the refreshment stand at the Southold Town Beach at Arshamomaque have been closed. On Saturday of this week the Town Beach, which during the hot summer months is a popular spot with both local residents and summer visitors, will be officially open for the season. Jack's Shack, the refreshment stand, will again be under the management of Jack Levin. For 10. consecutive years Mr. Levin was the proprietor of Jack's Shack. Now after throughout the country and are now a real problem. If your trees are healthy they can usually live through the gypsy moth infestation, but many times the old and sickly trees succumb and die. If you can live with this problem, in two years they usually are gone. If not, spraying will help, but it will not solve the problem. It seems you have to let nature take its course. If you don't like in spray you can use a com- mercially sold sticky sub- stance to put a band around each of your trees to catch the caterpillars as they move up and down the tree, or you can tie a burlap bag folded around the tree and the gypsy moth caterpillars will go under it to hide. They you have to dispose of them in some manner. Hopefully they'll not be such a problem as years ago when they denuded the trees throughout much of Long Island. Robins, of course, are busy feeding their plump young that follow them around on the front lawns like miniature toys. Even my feeders are invaded by finches who in turn feed their fluttering young. This wing- beating and begging is typical of young birds and what triggers the adults' endless energy in gathering food is the yellow or orange lining in the mouth of the young birds. This simply signals, "Put it in here — I'm hungry." And worms and berries and seeds are thrust in re- peatedly. Down by the creek I see a mallard sneaking along the - marsh edge with a string of young behind. They lay eggs one at a time until they get a clutch of 10 to 12 or more eggs. Then, and only then, does the hen start incubating. In the meantime she covers them over and leaves the nest. Then when the final egg is laid she starts to incubate. The idea is that now all the young will hatch at one time. Then within a day they are all able to swim and leave the nest forever. Birds of prey, like the osprey, start incubating as soon as one egg is laid. This presents somewhat of a problem, for now when the eggs hatch days apart there will always be a difference in size. The result is that often the larger one rules the roost, to the detriment of the others. Often this survival instinct is so strong that the older one kills or pushes out his brothers and sisters. And so, there are tragedies galore in the raising of young birds. Yet it's all part of the scheme of things. Sometimes we mortals think nature is cruel, but when you look at the big picture she seems to know what she's doing. After all, the cycle's been going on for a long, long time and it works. P.S. Let's remember that nature knows best. Whenever you find a young bird out of its nest, it's best to leave it alone or, if threatened by a neighbor's cat or dog, put it in a tree or bush where the mother will eventually find it. `Sometimes we mortals think nature is cruel, but when you look at the big picture she seems to know what she's doing.' serving for three years in the United States Army, 35 months of which were spent overseas in England, Sicily and Southern France, Sgt. Levin of the Military Police, who has been honorably discharged from the service, will again be able to serve the public at Jack's Shack on the Sound. The buildings, which were badly damaged during the hurricane last September, have been repaired by contractor Clinton Hommel. A large new porch facing the sound has been added to the refreshment stand. It will seem like old times to have the town bathing beach open to the public in charge of World War II veteran Sgt. Jack Levin. 25 Years Ago July 3, 1970 Community Sing -Out to be Held: The first Community Sing -Out of the summer will be held this Sun- day, July 5, at 7 p.m. on the Greenport United Methodist Church lawn. These events, which proved so popular last summer, are again going to be at various sites in the Green - port and Orient area, with future dates and places to be announced. Don Hamblin, song - leader, invites all youth with guitars or ukes to bring their instruments and help accompany the singing. Selections will include folk songs and camp songs, as well as hymns and old popular favorites.