January 27, 1977 - Hard Winter A Wildiffe Disasterocus on qalure
by Paul Stoutenburgh
Hard VI/inter
A Wildiffe Disaster
When it comes to hardships with the cold,
ice and snow, most of us are concerned only
with ourselves. Few see or ever notice that
the same cruel elements of winter that flout
our daily lives also cause hardships for our
wildlife. We do notice that our birdfeeders
are being used more and more and the
ravenous appetites of the finches, jays and
sparrows seem to be telling us of their
troubles. The suet feeders which attracted
only a casual visitor this fall are now con-
tinually being used by woodpeckers,
chickadees, nuthatches and of course the
bully of all, the starlings.
The Carolina wren that visited our feeder
daily has disappeared. Probably a victim of
the cold. This bird from the South has moved
as far north as Long Island and is usually
able to winter over when the weather is
mild. It will take years for this beautiful
singer to restore his species in our woods.
Ice cover can be a killer to our ducks,
geese, swans and herons. Why some of
nature's creatures stay around each winter
when most of their kind are far to the south
is not really known. A good example of this
poor timing is the great blue heron. Each
year we have this handsome three -foot
wading bird as a summer visitor to our salt
marshes. None nest on Long Island, or as a
matter of fact on any of the hearby islands,
such as Gardiners, Block, Plum or Robins.
Many other herons do, but not the great
blue. Then why is it we always find one or
two of these stately birds trying to make it
through the winter in our creeks each year?
These birds require shallow, open water
for feeding. They are master stalkers and
their poise and accuracy at feeding are
something to marvel at. Their food can be
anything from small minnows to a two -foot
eel. If it moves ... it's eaten. But now with our
fierce winds and low temperatures freezing
over most of our creeks it's slim picking.
Besides these winter hazards, much of the
heron's food has long since hibernated in the
mud to await the warm rays of this spring
sun.
At the head of most of our creeks are
warm spring waters keeping the ice from
forming, and it is here that you'll find the
rails, snipe and herons eking out their
meager winter meals. I know of just such a
spot out in Orient that I always stop
whenever I pass through. Last week my wife
and I were photographing during the snow
and we had stopped to see what was feeding
in this last unfrozen spot.
Sure enough there were two Virginia rails
busy in the mud prodding with their long
bills for worms and insects. Busy watching
the rails we hardly noticed a great blue
heron huddled along the side of the bank.
Anxious to photograph this giant I walked
closer only to see the bird stagger and
stumble with open wings onto some nearby
ice. This bird is usually extremely alert and
the first to fly when man approaches. We
knew something was wrong. The extreme
cold and frozen creeks had shut off its
supply of food and it was s'owly starving to
death. We walked away saddened by
nature's twist of fate. Its strength had left it
so weak that it was unable to fly and
therefore became a prisoner of the weather.
We later visited this area and our
prediction had come true. Down the gully
low in the ice, we could see the tragedy —our
heron slumped over and was partly covered
by ice and snow. This is not a cruel story or
an unjust one, it is the way the natural world
has functioned over and over throughout
time. Those who do not follow nature's strict
code of commands are replaced by those
who do, and next year a new and wiser
group will follow.
Ducks and geese are a bit more fortunate,
but even their ability to get along and en-
dure cold weather has its limits. Hundreds
of thousands of ducks and geese have been
reported dead along the Maryland and
Jersey coast because of the cold. The swan,
a bird that is not native to our area, is
having a touch time locally as the water
freezes up in their favorite feeding grounds.
These feeding areas must be relatively
shallow so that they can reach down with
their long necks and work the bottom. The
Bay and Sound, even though they are open,
are only temporary resting places, as they
provide no food whatsoever. About the only
salvation they have now is when a good
Samaritan goes out each day and feeds
them. Old bread, lettuce, and grain are all
good foods for the swan. A word of caution
though. Swans with their large size and
powerful wings sometimes become over-
anxious for the free handout and become
super- aggressive. Therefore, feeding should
be by adults only, and with care.
I saw another example of the devastation
this cold weather was having on our wildlife.
I had been trying to photograph some ducks
that had been forced into a small unfrozen
opening of one of our creeks. Looking down
in the icy waters I spotted the familiar holes
of soft clams. Fresh soft clams put my
stomach in high gear and so the next day I
took a clam rake and a pair of boots with me
on my way to work. The idea was to get a
mess of those clams on my way home. Well,
sure enough the clams were there. Not too
many, but enough to satisfy my appetite.
As I was raking by myself I happened to
turn around and there was a mud hen or
clapper rail. This is one of our long - billed
marsh birds that nest in the area during the
summer and usually migrate each fall to the
warmer weather south. Yet again, like the
herons, we find these birds occasionally
trying to make it through our winters.
Usually they do, but now with all the mar-
shes frozen solid and ice on all the creeks,
this bird had become desperate for food and
was exposing itself to me. Well, if you ever
dug soft clams, you know that some got
broken. So I took one of the broken clams.
and threw it to the rail. Not knowing the food
served in this manner, it paid little heed. To
the rail food should be moving or down at the
bottom of a long hole to tempt him. I was
very disappointed and so tried another.
Evidently this one gave some movement
when it landed nearby and that's all the rail
needed. It went for it— ripped it apart
savagely and got most of it down in one gulp.
All except the neck. This was too big and too
tough. Time and again it tried to get it down,
driving it fiercely against the frozen mud.
Finally it had pulverized it so much that it
went down, skin and all. In leaving I had
broken a few more and left them on the bank
in hopes the rail would pick them up and
have a clam dinner on me.
Yes, the cold affects all God's children —
human and wildlife alike. Many of us will
never know the hardships the outside world
endures as we sit comfortably in front of our
open fire. Yet I hope this short tale will'bring
you closer to that wonderful and sometimes
mysterious world. It is only by un-
derstanding all aspects of this fascinating
planet we gain the knowledge that will
enable us to survive and live a fuller and
more meaningful life.
January 27, 1977
` hr '*Uffalrk Chimes
TWO MUCH WINTER will probably kill this Great Blue Heron, victim of starvation as
snow and ice prevent it from obtaining the food on which it usually is able to survive.
photo by Paul Stoutenburgh