November 19, 1992 - Hunting Bunting on a Wintry Beach6A • The Suffolk Times • November 19, 1992
Hunting Bunting on a Wintry Beach
By Paul Stoutenburgh
Sunday afternoon we took our first
(almost- winter) beach walk. It was one of
those great days we have in November
that inspires walking. There was a bright
sun shining with huge cumulus clouds
above and a brisk wind out of the north-
west tingled with cold. Each night before
we had a good freeze and ice covered the
birdbaths. The chill lingered through our
Sunday afternoon.
We had thought FOCUS
of going to Mon-
tauk Point, which on Mature
is always a great
place for hiking
and seeing things, but we decided instead
to go to the other fork of our island and
see what Orient Point State Park had to
offer. These two state parks offer some of
the best unspoiled beaches you can find
anywhere in the state. The nice part of
these out -of -the -way places is that each
has warm restrooms and food stands year
round.
Probably what made up our mind for us
was that a good friend, Jim House, had
called and reported seeing a big flock of
snow buntings out at the point. With the
strong wind still blowing and the cold
weather hanging on, Barbara and I both
bundled up with extra -warm jackets and
gloves and headed out.
All along the roadway we saw plastic
bags full of leaves, showing someone's
energy had been at work raking. I haven't
touched ours as yet and the lawn shows it
for there isn't a spot of green to be seen.
It's my philosophy you can rake leaves
anytime but you can't always get a good
day to get out and see Mother Nature.
Time Enough
We pulled into the parking lot, ob-
serving the sign that said "The park will
close at 4:30 p.m." It was just about 1.
Three and a half hours of walking on a
windblown beach would be enough to
introduce us to winter this day.
Snow buntings are birds of the open
spaces having a particular fondness for
the wide expanses of the upland beach.
Here grow sparsely populated plants that
supply the windblown seeds for these
birds. I've often watched these winter
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
SANDERLING— Turnstones, sanderlings and black - bellied plovers can still
be seen out at Orient State Park. Why they stay around when all others have
migrated south is still a mystery.
birds running and picking as they feed,
seemingly happy with their usual
windswept, barren existence.
By chance I happened to see one of the
attendants of the park and asked if he'd
seen these visitors from the north. Good
news! He'd just seen them this morning
down in the parking lot, drinking from a
big puddle. It just goes to show how sup-
plying water in one way or another
attracts birds. We drove to the parking lot
and started walking east but saw no snow
buntings. Offshore there were a few
ducks, mostly white - winged scoters and a
pair of oldsquaw. These are our winter
residents that come down out of the north
to feed in our nearby waters. Years back
on a good winter's day you would see lit-
erally thousands of these rugged ducks
feeding offshore.
Our hope of seeing snow buntings
seemed far from bright as we walked
along and so to boost our spirits we start-
ed to take an inventory of the plants along
this upper beach. Old friends immediately
showed up. Clumps of seaside goldenrod
had succumbed to the freezing weather.
Where recently great clusters of yellow
flowers were, now a grey -brown furry
seed head took their place. Barbara
Let's book Back
78 Years Ago
Nov 28, 1914
Candidate Needed: Dr. Joseph Ogle, who lived in
Greenport many years, has moved away. This is regretted
by Southold Town Republicans, for they expected to run
him for supervisor next spring, and expected him to win,
for he was a very popular man. The Republicans are now
seeking another candidate. While it is generally held that
the nominee shall come from Greenport, several are boom-
ing William B. Reeve of Mattituck.
Mr. Flower's Yacht: Mr. Flower's steam yacht Ver-
gana has been sold to a Mr. Voorhees, who will use her on
the Pacific coast. She will leave Greenport for her destina-
tion via the Panama Canal. Reported price, $9,000. A
Greenport captain has been engaged to sail her. The yacht
cost Mr. Flower about $70,000.
50 Years Ago
Nov. 19, 1942
Defense Housing Project: About 30 attended the
monthly meeting of the Greenport Chamber of Commerce
at Mitchell's Restaurant on Monday. The guest speaker was
R.B. Hutton, manager of the defense housing project being
constructed on upper Front Street due to war work at the
Greenport Basin and Construction Company. According to
thought they looked like furry mice from
a distance. I could only think of the seeds
that would soon be blown away and sup-
ply the elusive snow buntings some of
their winter food.
Towering in large and small clumps
were the seed heads of the savior of the
beaches, the dune grasses. WithQut their
collecting power of
the moving sands,
there would be few
beaches. These too
would supply food
for our ground
feeders. What still
held their green
color, but were
somewhat dilapi- Nature.
dated, were the
clumps of worm-
wood. They along with the felt - leaved
dusty miller and mullein seemed to know
the secret of holding their color. Hudso-
nia, poverty grass, that lover of and poor
areas that we see also in the pine barrens,
had taken a foothold here and looked dry
and withered. Bayberry, which usually
dominates the upper beaches with its
rugged green leaves, had taken on a dry,
withered look. Soon all its leaves would
fall, exposing the rich grey berries for the
birds of winter.
Occasionally you'll see the late -mi-
grating tree swallows feeding on these
berries but the real consumer of these sur-
vival foods are the flocks of starlings that
descend upon them like a swarm of giant
grasshoppers. We passed an osprey plat-
form that had just recently come down in
one of our storms and made a mental note
of it. It would be up by spring, I knew.
We decided to change our direction and
head west into what I'd like to call the
wilderness area for there are few signs of
man on this wester tongue of the park —
nothing but windblown grass, salt marsh-
es, cedar trees and stunted oak. We had to
pass Rick's concession and were tempted
to stop in for a cup of hot soup but then
we'd just eaten and so we moved on. A
resident mockingbird by the building told
us this was his winter territory. We
passed through beach plum bushes whose
leaves had fallen. Each had a miniature
dune around its base, another plant that
helps catch the windblown sand.
The beach rose that seems to flourish in
this sandy environment had but one
orange -red rose hip on it. The deer had
probably taken the others by now. Later
we'd see six or eight feeding just off the
roadside as we left.
We must have walked for two hours
through this pristine
area. Gulls on the
You can rake leaves
anytime but you
can't always get out
and see Mother
Mr. Hutton the project consists of prefabricated, demount-
able houses which the goverment can dispose of and move
away after the need in this vicinity is over.
The project in Greenport consists of 28 buildings of 50
apartments, 10 to have one bedroom, 30 of two bedrooms
and 10 with three bedrooms. The rent will include gas, elec-
tricity and water.
25 Years Ago
Nov. 24, 1967
Violent Storm: An unusually violent thunder and
lightning storm for this time of the year hit Shelter Island
on Saturday evening with vivid flashes of lightning and
earth tremors from the thunder that cracked foundations and
shook houses so violently that objects fell from shelves to
the floor. Sections of the island were without electricity for
over 45 minutes and in some localities it had not been
restored on Monday.
Dick Jernick's home on Linda Court, where five tele-
phone poles were struck by lightning and reduced to match
sticks, suffered an unestimated amount of damage. Win-
dows were knocked out, linoleum was ripped from the
bathroom floor, a corner of the house was ripped off,
knocking the baby's crib across the floor, doors were
thrown across the rooms and electric wiring was burned
out.
low beach sat out of
the wind and farther
up the beach through
our binoculars we
could see shorebirds.
Our pace quickened
and soon we could
make them out.
Turnstones, sander-
lings, dunlins and
black - bellied plover were feeding along
the shore edge in their winter plumage.
These shorebirds will probably stay here
in the lee of the beach '61 well into the
first of the year. By now we were ready to
head back.
As we were checking on the cactus that
grows along this beach, my eye caught
the flash of a flock of birds. Our snow
buntings were wheeling and flying in
sheer delight before us. At one point
they'd almost dissolve into the sky only
to bank and flash their white- and -black
bodies like some Fourth of July burst of
fireworks. Our day was complete. With
the setting sun at our backs and the wind
becoming chillier we headed home, con-
tent with our first, almost- winter walk.
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