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July 22, 1993 - Southbound Birds Signal Summer's EndJuly 22, 1993 • The Suffolk Times • 7A Southbound Birds Signal Summer's End By Paul Stoutenburah I saw my first migrating shorebird on July 12, signaling the fall flight of these migrants that make some of the longest round trips on record from their nesting grounds to their wintering grounds. They are now completing nesting in the barren, treeless tundra of the far north, where in early spring a multitude of in- Focus on Mature sects hatches out that produce the highly concentrated protein needed for quick and strong growth so essential to the young offspring. The tundra is underlaid with a perma- nent layer of ice called permafrost. It melts just enough in the short summer to puddle this vast area with millions of riverlets and small ponds that make ideal breeding grounds for the insects. So prolific are mosquitoes and flies and others that without some sort of protec- tion one could literally go mad under their relentless attack. Even the caribou are under constant siege and seek out the cool north breezes where they can escape their ravages. Hardly does the ice melt after the long winter's darkness than the birds arrive. Courtship displays are acted out, each species in its own unique manner. Territories are fought over and nest building begins. All are on the ground where there are no trees of any size. The trees attempt growing but none ever get past a ground- clinging attempt at sur- vival. With the lengthening day that makes daylight seem almost continuous, the young grow fast on the never - ending stream of insects fed to them. No won- der their adolescence is so short. Time to Head South Soon after they are fledged and al- most before they are on their own, it is time to think about heading south. This trip will be in spurts of strenuous flight and periods of rest and feeding. That is where our great beaches, sand bars and mud flats come into play. Like the stop- ping -off places along our thoroughfares where we replenish ourselves on long trips, our wet areas become crucial on the long journey to their wintering grounds. These could be as far away as Patagonia in southern Argentina or as close as the bays and bayous of our southern states. The threatening part of all this is the continual destruction or alteration of these important habitats, whether it is by oil rigs on the tundra or the loss of wet- lands along the migration routes or the destruction of the wintering grounds in the south. All are factors in the never - ending decline of our shorebird popula- tion. And it is most distressing to think that in less than 100 years we have changed the population of shorebirds from clouds and masses to occasional small flocks and even single birds. Man has left his mark on the world in many ways. But you don't need shorebirds to tell you that summer is fast slipping away. Our days are starting to become shorter, although most hardly realize it. I see many immature birds that have already left their nest. And in the open areas flocks of young starlings are building up with each new hatch that joins them. Like a newly trained army they alight in Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh YELLOWLEGS —A sure sign that summer is slipping away is the sight of our first migrating shorebirds, like this yellowlegs spotted last week. the fields or marshes and work them over, the ones in the rear continually flying up ahead of the pack to get to the greener pasture, only to be overtaken by new arrivals from the new gleaned back field. Fields at Risk These starlings and the big purple grackles that move in flocks are the farmers' chief robbers, for when they invade a corn field or pea lot or vine- yard, watch out. Like a panzer division, they can do much destruction. Of all the birds I know the starling is one*of the most aggressive feeders out there, whether it be winter or summer, spring or fall. This immigrant from Europe is always on the go, seeking out the last kernel or berry that would oth- erwise feed our native birds. So aggres- sive is the starling that it is not uncom- mon to find him feeding in our salt marshes or at the beach edge. In the up- land nothing is safe, be it the berry or bug, and when there are none of those left he'll head for the farmer's crops. After all, it couldn't be easier picking when the crops are so neatly arranged and grown so fine. No wonder farmers resort to compressed -air guns to frighten them away. The only problem with that 111_a as UaaL UlAAL 82 Years Ago July 22, 1911 Sham Battle: For several days war vessels have been darting in and out around Orient Point and at 4 o'clock Wednesday morning a sham battle was fought near Block Island to see whether a foreign fleet could pass through Long Island Sound and attack New York City. According to the battle fought this week, no fleet could pass. There were battleships, cruisers, torpedo boats and submarines in the battle. Robbery at the PO: Safe crackers entered the Southold post office early Wednesday morning and while drilling the safe were frightened away by the postmaster's wife. They escaped with the postmaster's horse and buggy and the stamp drawer was robbed of six dollars in change. It was just two years ago this month that the Southold post office was robbed and the safe blown open. 50 Years Ago July 22, 1943 Few Jobs for Girls: This spring with the wartime necessity of increased food production, there was every indication of a scarcity of farm labor. To provide Long Island farmers with field hands, groups of high school stu- dents volunteered for work. In June, 22 girls between 15 is that it merely scares them off to an- other grower down the road. I speak of shorter days as the first sign of our summer's ending, but oh what weather we have had. Outside of the hot spell we can't remember a more perfect June and July. For weeks the wind has been out of the north, dry and breezy. It was so perfect that the other evening after dinner (Barbara's clam pie), we took the old aluminum boat and motored to the other side of the bay. A pair of mallards came to see us off and I wondered if this close alliance could mean that she was being enticed into bringing off another brood. We rode on as if the entire area belonged to us. No sooner had we gotten started when we saw the familiar snapping of bunkers. Today, like the shorebirds, we merely have remnants of what were once unbe- `Our wet areas become crucial on the birds' long journey to their wintering grounds.' lievable schools of these plankton feed- ers. Overnetting through the years has rendered them to a mere trickle of what they once were. Yet we must be thank- ful for the trickle because they supply the ospreys with most of their food to- day. Back home I tied the boat up and went for a swim. I was by myself. I floated on deliciously warm water. Not a wave interfered. The sky was still blue even though the sun had now set. The stars had not come out as yet but a few high clouds drifted by. Far up I could see a jet heading west'and as I relaxed on my back I thought I would not swap a place in a plane for where I was now. Every once in a while I would feel a moon jelly slither by my side. Later in the dark they would glow with irides- cent green -blue lines. Out of the water the coolness of the night chilled me but a warm shower soon fixed that. My day was coming to an end and I couldn't ask for more. and 17 came to East Marion at Daniel Brown's cabins. Later more girls joined the camp until there are now 32. At first there was a demand to pick peas. Now that potato digging is in full swing only half of the girls have been able to find work. Work in the potato fields is, in the opinion of many farmers, too hard for young girls. The weekly expense of ten dollars for room and board is a heavy bur- den. It is hoped more farmers can find employment for these young people. 25 Years Ago July 19, 1968 ` Ferry Ticket Office Robbed: The Orient- Point- New London freight ferry line ticket office at Orient Point was robbed on Monday. About 1:30 a.m. Patrolman Harry Smith of the Southold Town Police spotted a pickup with an out -of -town license plate stuck in the sand near the ticket office. He found that the office had been broken into and ransacked and the small safe forced open. Later he noticed two men walking along the road, one wearing a jacket which fit the description of the one stolen from the ferry office. The two men were taken into custody. The $334 stolen from the safe was recovered. Later it was found that the pickup truck had been stolen and a number of cars in the laboratory parking site had been tampered with in an attempt to find a car in which to escape.