November 10, 1994 - Winter: The Season of Choice for Ducks6A • The Suffolk Times,* November 10, 1994
Winter: The Season of Choice for Ducks
By Paul Stoutenburgh the ground, which makes it an -�
These mild, beautiful days of late fall
have given a second chance for the
stragglers of migration. Just the other
play I saw a Monarch butterfly lazily
working its way westward. Cold weather
immobilizes these cold - blooded insects.
I know this for I've often wanted to pho-
tograph an unco-
operative butterfly Focus on
or moth that
wouldn't stay still Nature
and I had to resort
to putting the un-
manageable lepidoptera in the refrigera-
tor to cool down. Within a short time the
cold quiets my subject to a point where I
can photograph it in its paralyzed state. I
have to work fast for it soon warms up
and is up and away, no worse for the
wear. Of course, there are always those
whose genes or some physical problem
do not allow them to migrate or move
soon enough and for that defect they
shall perish. It is nature's way of weed-
ing out the inferior so that the strong can
carry on.
Those of you who live on one of our
creeks on the East End have probably
seen a change in the bird population out
on the water. After a busy nesting season
in the more rugged north, bufflehead,
oldsquaw, black ducks and mergansers
are showing up in their winter splendor.
The little bufflehead, with its gaudy
black- and -white coloring, is always on
the move, spending
most of its time below
the surface of the water
in search of small fish,
snails and almost any-
thing that moves before
it on our creek bottoms.
Here in the creeks and
bays they'll stay
through the winter. The
only thing that will
move them on is a solid
covering of ice. Then
it's time to move out into the open bays
or head farther south to open water.
It's hard to realize that this plump lit-
tle duck nests in hollow trees but that's
its preferred site. Like the wood duck it
hatches its clutch of young high above
adventurous drop for the little
ones, but they seem to survive it
with merely a bounce and a scur-
ry off, ready to follow the mother
off to the water when all are
down. This journey could be the
most perilous time of their life
because on land baby ducks are
hors d'oeuvres for some roaming
fox, weasel or soaring hawk. But
these hazards are all taken into
account in the big scheme of
things and most survive the
ordeal and prosper so that each
year we look forward to their
return to our waterways to keep
us company through the some-
times dreary days of winter.
The oldsquaw, although mostly
found in our bays and Sound dur-
ing the winter, often visit our
creeks for a change of diet.
Another black - and -white duck but
larger than the bufflehead with
long, dashing tail feathers is a true
sea duck that seems to enjoy the
wild, cold winds of winter. No
matter how stormy it can get, old -
squaws seem to frolic in the turbulent
windblown waters; like the bufflehead,
they seek shelter far below where they
feed. A fast flier, the oldsquaw becomes
one of the most difficult ducks for the
hunters to hit, particularly if he's flying
with a strong wind behind him.
On quiet days he's a talker and you
can hear his rolling yodel
from far across the, bay.
He'll not do this yodel-
ing in our creeks though.
He needs lots of space
around him before he
gives off with his recital.
The female is not as
gaudy as the male but
flies in the pattern and
with the speed of a good
oldsquaw. Their nesting
grounds are in the arctic
tundra, away from trees and man.
I've often been asked where birds
sleep, say, like the oldsquaw. Most wa-
terbirds do just as the name implies.
They sleep on the water. Our common
gulls find a spot out of the wind and set-
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
OLDSQUAWS —These handsome sea ducks have just returned from their arctic
nesting grounds to spend the winter in our local waters. Listen for their talkative "Ow
owdle ow" on quiet days.
Some wildlife biolo-
gists believe it's
only a matter of
time before the
magnificent black
duck is no more.
111_11MI69A 1 wwi,1111 OdWhh.�S-
arm% 110 YVVA ivaIWIR
82 Years Ago
Nov. 9, 1912
Town Working to Improve Roads: A petition is
being circulated in Southold Town in the hopes that a state
road will be built from the town line at Laurel, eastward as
far as Greenport Village.
This petition, when completed, will be turned over to the
Town Board, which will present it to the voters at the next
town election.
Some of those interested in the movement want the good
road extended all the way to Orient Point, thereby making a
fine stretch of roadway from one end of the town to the
other. Greenport will probably have to be eliminated, as it is
an incorporated village. But Greenport, too, is getting the
good roads fever, and will not be outdone by her neighbors.
50 Years Ago
Nov. 10, 1944
Old Basket Donated to Library: Recently Mr.
William Loper of Orient presented the Shelter Island Library
a very interesting handmade splint basket, which was woven
by Betty Tobey, the last Indian squaw living on Shelter
Island. Her wigwam was on Sachem's Neck. The basket
belonged to the late Lillian Loper's grandmother, Mrs. John
Tuthill, who for years had used it as an egg basket.
Coast Guard Activities End in Greenport:
tle down for the night. The same is true
of the bufflehead, mergansers and others
who frequent our creeks. Usually their
choice is out in the bay, away from the
confines of our narrow creeks-
Black ducks don't feed to any great
extent during the day but do most of
their foraging at night on farmers'
disked -up corn fields or the sandy edges
of a creek where they can paddle out.
Small, soft clams will suit them fine.
The black duck's resting period is during
the day when he sleeps like a bobbing
cork someplace where it's quiet and
away from man.
Another new arrival in our creeks is
the red - breasted merganser, or shell -
drake, as the old- timers called them.
This duck has an entirely different bill
than most ducks. It's long and narrow
and equipped with a series of sharp, little
teeth for holding slippery critters it
extracts from around and under rocks
and seaweed. We usually see the females
and young in their nondescript brownish
coloring. Later in the winter when the
males move in with their dress suits on
The Coast Guard Captain of the Ports office at Greenport offi-
cially ceased operations on Wednesday of this week and will
be liquidated as soon as possible. The reason for the closing
of the office is that more Coast Guardsmen are needed for
overseas duty. At the time that the office ceased operations
this week the personnel included 36 men and seven boats.
With the closing of the Captain of the Ports office the
wartime Coast Guard activities at Greenport were brought to a
close. It was in July 1942 that the Coastal Picket Base was
established here. This base was closed in November 1943. The
Captain of the Ports office was established here in May 1942.
25 Years Ago
Nov-14,1969
News of Local Servicemen: Marine Sgt. Martin
Mitchell, son of Mrs. Ethel Singleton of Greenport, is present-
ly serving in Vietnam with the First Marine Division. In a let-
ter to a friend received in Greenport this week Sgt. Mitchell,
who is on Hill No. 60, said, "Actually it isn't too bad over
here. This really is a beautiful country. It would be much
nicer if `Ol' Charlie' would quit sneaking around at night."
New Society Forms: There will be a meeting of
those interested in the founding of a Village Improvement
Society at the Townsend Manor Inn in Greenport at 8 o'clock
Tuesday, Nov. 18. It is not necessary to be a resident or tax-
payer of Greenport. All people of good will with an interest
in the village will be welcome.
we see an entirely different bird. Now
white and iridescent greens and greys
make this one of our most handsome
winter ducks. It also has a characteristic
rakish headdress that can be raised and
lowered to impress the lady fair when
courting time comes around. But for
now we'll have to settle for the more
mundane coloring of the breed. This bird
is found universally in our creeks, bays
and Sound wherever food is plentiful.
The merganser does not nest commonly
on our island but is found nesting more
to the north in lakes and streams.
The Hunter's Favorite
Of the four ducks I mentioned the
black duck is the most prized by the
hunters. The others are said to be more
like eating fish than a duck. Black ducks
are one of the species of ducks that is
having a difficult time keeping its identi-
ty. The big reason is that the common
mallard, most of which are seen around
here and semitame, have bred with the
black duck to the extent that some
wildlife biologists believe it's only a
matter of time before this magnificent
duck will be no more. Another factor
against its survival is that its nesting
sites are constantly being invaded by
man. A more secretive nester than the
mallard, it is finding it harder and harder
to get away to those lonely spots that
were once common in our marshes,
lakes and streams but now have been
taken over by man.
You probably have noticed I haven't
mentioned the common mallard as one
of the returning ducks to our area for
most of the mallards we see have been
raised and bred almost in our own back-
yards. Most have lost their fear of man.
Nevertheless, they are part of the interest
we all look forward to when we look
across the waters around us. The more
we become familiar with our web - footed
friends, the more life in general becomes
rewarding. It's just a matter of seeing.
Career Night Slated
RIVERHEAD— Career Exploration
Night will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
on Thursday, Nov. 17, at Suffolk
Community College's eastern campus.
To make a reservation, call 548 -2512
by Nov. 15.