Loading...
October 15, 1992 - White-Winged Visitors from the North4A • The Suffolk Times • October 15, 1992 White - Winged Visitors from the North By Paul Stoutenburgh I hope many of you took advantage of public television's outstanding program, "Realms of the Russian Bear." This nature series took you to the far reaches of that huge country, showing some of the most spectacular scenery and wildlife I've ever seen. I was particularly impressed with the episode that showed the nesting site of the beautiful snow geese that raise Focus their young in eastern Siberia. on Nature These geese, when mature, travel down the coast of Alaska and winter in southern California. The snow geese here on our east coast come from a different group and they, like their Russian cousins, prefer the near Arctic of northern Canada and Greenland to nest. Snow geese, as their name implies, are pure white with the exception of their black wing tips. This is hardly noticeable when on the ground but shows up well when in flight. They are rugged birds, arriving in the tundra before the ice has completely melted and snow squalls are still showing their reluctance to leave. Nevertheless, they strike their claim to a nesting area and defend it fiercely from any intruders. Like all nesters on the tundra where trees are absent, they are vulnerable to predators from the land as well as birds from the air. The nest is a natural de- pression in the ground in which four to eight eggs are laid. Once the eggs are laid, a soft covering of down is plucked from the female's breast to line the nest and to cover the eggs whenever she leaves. The male does not incubate but stands guard nearby to ward off any unwelcome intruders. Arctic Fox a Threat The series showed the white Arctic fox charging in and confusing the adults while he cleverly stole an egg and car- ried it off. The Arctic fox will change its winter white coat to a brownish coat when the snow leaves and warmer weather moves in. The ptarmigan, a grouse -like bird, and the Arctic hare LIU Offers Course In South Pacific SOUTHAMPTON —LIU professors Howard Reisman and Stephen Tettel- bach will lead a month -long course in tropical marine biology in the South Pa- cific in December and January. The fully accredited course is open to any- one with a basic background in biology and the ability to swim. The four - credit course begins Dec. 28 and participants will travel to three is- lands in the South Pacific, Tongatapu and Vava'U in the Kingdom of Tonga and Ono Island in Fiji. Activities will include snorkeling, underwater photog- raphy reef walking and SCUBA diving. Each student will be required to com- plete an individual research project un- der the guidance of the professors. Enrollment is on a first -come, first - served basis. The estimated cost per person is $4,100. A $100 deposit is re- quired by Oct. 30. For information call professors Reis- man or Tettelbach at 283 -4000, ext. 403 or 418. SNOW GEESE — Although uncommon, these geese are sometimes seen in small groups on migration south from their nesting grounds in the tundra of the north. have the same characteristics of chang- ing plumage as the season's change. Besides the pilfering of the foxes, birds such as gulls, jaegers and ravens attack from the air. These opportunists, like the fox, never pass up a free meal in this harsh and bleak land: Geese, like swans, mate for life and only take a new mate when some mis- fortune takes over the other. The young are born with a fluffy coat of down and spend little or no time in the nest for as soon as the last one hatches, the adults lead them to pasture, which is to say off to feed. Being mainly vegetarians, snow geese like our common Canada geese do most of their foraging on land where green plants and seeds are available. There are some insects and crustaceans eaten but their major diet is made up of grasses and grains which brings me around to how I happen to have chosen snow geese for this week's article. We had gotten in late one evening last week and when I opened the door of our house I saw a figure over in my office with a flashlight. For a moment I thought we had an unwelcome visitor but no it was my son -in -law scanning the bookshelf. Bob was looking for a book that would help him identify some big birds he had seen during the day on the golf course. He said they were white and as big as geese. With a review of the pic- tures we were pretty sure he had seen snow geese mixed in with a flock of Canada geese enjoying the greenery of the golf course. They are not rare. here on the east coast but uncommon. Snow Geese at Chincoteague Years ago we took a group of birders to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia to see these hand- some geese fulfilling their long migra- tion from the Arctic to their southern wintering grounds. We weren't disap- pointed for we saw snow geese by the thousands as they came in to land in great masses. They looked for all the world like giant snowflakes dropping as the maze of white, whirling wings set- tled down. It was a rare sight indeed but there we could never get close enough for a really good photo. So when Bob said they were up on the golf course feeding, plans soon filmed up to photo- graph them. The next morning when we arrived, sure enough we could see through our 78 Years Ago Oct. 17, 1914 Our Cement Roads: Edward Hines, chairman of the Highway Commission of Wayne County, Mich., has inspected the new cement roads being built on Long Island and he pronounces them the finest pieces of concrete road he has ever seen. This criticism is from an expert. Michigan was supposed to have the finest system of cement roads in the country, but it looks as if Long Island would beat that state at its own game. Electrical Activities: The Consumers' Gas Com- pany is busy on pole line work at Cutchogue putting up the lines for supplying electric light to Cutchogue, New Suffolk and Mattituck. It is hoped the work can be completed this fall and that Orient will soon be the scene of electrical activities. Wm. Pell Is 5: Wm. Rodman Pell celebrated his fifth birthday in a very pleasant manner on Tuesday by entertain- ing some of his friends. The little folks played games, after which they were ushered to the dining room which was decorated in pink and white. 50 Years Ago Oct. 15, 1942 Nazi Flag on Display: The Veteran Cigar Store has binoculars a pair of snow geese with three young amongst a hundred or so Canada Geese. Our problem was to get close enough to photograph without in- terfering with the golfers. After all, it was their day on the greens. We walked up when no one was around but found the geese quite wary. I took a few record shots but finally gave up after we heard a familiar "Fore!" coming from a golfer to the north. We didn't want to interrupt the game so figured we would try again the next morning. The weather was perfect and so, bright and early, Barbara and I took off for the golf course. Wouldn't you know it? The geese weren't there! Disappointed, we headed back home but just happened to go by a disced -up sweet -corn field and there they were with the other geese enjoying the late summer's corn. There were also gulls and crows foraging and so we thought this would be a place to photograph. We started across the field but the wary crows took off and soon all the rest followed in the air. Would they go back to their favorite golf course? The only way to find out was to check. I'm glad we did for there they were and no golfers had yet arrived. I settled down with my camera and tri- pod amongst a huge clump of New York State asters while Barbara, like a true cowboy or should I say "cowgirl," herd- ed the geese toward me. So it was we were able to get a picture of these hand- some white geese as they swam in the pond before me and then later walked up on the land. Their three grayish -white offspring stayed close by the two adults that seemed more alert than all the rest of the geese. They had traveled from their near - Arctic nesting grounds and were evidently resting and feeding before continuing on their annual migra- tion south. I thought of the documentary on Channel 13 and how they had raised their young in that harsh environment. Had some of their young been taken by the Arctic fox or the eggs pilfered by ravens? We'll never know. How won- derfully proud they were before me. I was thrilled to see them and wished them a safe journey south. the first Nazi swastika flag to be placed on display in Greenport. The flag was taken from the German motor ship Ordenwold, which was sailing under false colors as the American ship Willmoto. The German ship was seized by the U.S. ship Atlantic on Nov. 6, 1941. Lt. O.C. Erickson, a Greenport boy, was the navigating officer of the prize crew. No Lights at Christmas: There shall be no illumi- nation this year of outdoor Christmas trees or other external holiday decorations during dimout hours. Other restrictions on Christmas lighting include the prohibition of such lights in the windows of private homes or other buildings. Since the dimout begins a half hour after sunset there will be very little time for enjoyment of holiday illumination. 25 Years Ago Oct. 20, 1967 Miss Hallock Honored: Miss Belle Hallock was honored at a testimonial luncheon Sept. 28 at the Sloan House, New York City, upon her retirement from the United States Postal Service. Miss Hallock began in the Shelter Island post office 32 years ago. In 1944 she transferred to the Post Office Department Headquarters in Washington, D.C. and in 1956 moved to the Regional Controllers Office in New York City. Miss Hallock plans to make her home on Shelter Island.