Loading...
September 15, 1983 - Birds, People Heading SouthSECOND SECTION 014t N igry irill September 15,1983 Birds, People Heading South By PAULSTOUTENBURGH The fall migration of birds actually started months ago when those early shore birds that were so anxious to move north in March and April were headed back south in July. I'd see them when we were out on the water, tight bundles of low flying birds with a deliberate desti- nation in their flight. Some had flown from as far away as the Arctic, where they bred and were now moving south with a new crop of young. Through the rest of September we'll see remnants of this once great movement of shore birds that in days gone by were the target of market gunners all along our eastern seaboard. Starting in Maine, these efficient gun- ners took tremendous tolls on shore birds of all kinds. Luring them in with decoys they literally devastated a flock with one shot from their large gauge market guns. The lure to the decoy and the habit of flying in flocks was what almost brought these birds to the brink of extinction. Collected and shipped to the big cities by the barrels, they brought a few cents apiece but added up it made market gunning profitable. Picked and dressed they were a gourmet's delight and sought after by the great eating places where people flocked to dine on these delicacies. Thanks to today's conservation move- ment and the passage of strict game laws, we still get smatterings of what once was one of the greatest sights in nature. There's many an account of great ftQMg3 @w Mn,QMTq clouds of shore irds that once move(f up and down our eastern seaboard and our . own Great South Bay area was one of the prime hunting grounds of market gun- ners who supplied the ready markets of New York. Golden Plover Seen Coming home last Wednesday I looked across one of the many sod farms that dot our landscape and saw a small group of the rarest of shore birds, the golden plover. What a beautiful name. What a beautiful bird. It gets its name from the golden appearance of the speckled feath- ers on its dark brown back. This along with its jet -black belly makes this shore bird easily identified. Look for it on golf courses, sod farms or recently- harvested potato fields, where it can be picked out readily. They're a chunky bird about the size of a robin but stockier and have the habit of running and stopping, running and stopping. Often these birds fly over vast stretches of the Atlantic Ocean in their fall migration and it's only occa- sionally that we see them here on Long Island. b_;yZ§ 85 EAST MAIN STREET, RIVERHEAD • 727 -9824 OPEN: Monday - Saturday 7:00 AM - 8:00 PM SPECIALS MONDAY THURSDAY Sauerbraten Corned Beef w /Dumplings & Red Cabbage & Cabbage $4 75 $4,25 TUESDAY FRIDAY Broiled Flounder Beef Goulash $405 $4,25 WEDNESDAY SATURDAY Roast Loin of Pork 1/2 Baked Chicken w /Sauerkraut w /Stuffing $4,75 $400 All above served with POTATO, VEGETABLE and ROLL or BREAD ALL DESSERTS ARE HOMEMADE — Cheesecake, Pies & Puddings BLACK- BELLIED PLOVER - -There are three plovers that visit our area in their fall migration. The black - bellied plover pictured above is the most common, while the golden and upland plover are much more difficult to find. Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh Another similar bird of almost the same size and proportion is the black - bellied plover. These birds too have been passing through our area. We saw them the other evening when we went out in our boat SeaWind to stay overnight off Robins Island. What a change of pace from the busyness of home. The quiet of the lagoon with only one other boat told us the summer folks had fled. The waterways, like our roadways, have once again become tolerable. In a beautiful orange red sunset we ate dinner and soaked up the splendor of the setting sun. I noticed a single bird flying along the stony shore. It had to be a shore bird but what one? It is times like this that you can do as you please and so I got in the dinghy and went along the shore to check it. In the glow of sunset and with the help of my binoculars I picked up the black - bellied plover running and stop- ping, running and stopping, feeding in between. It looked very similar to the golden plover, except it was a bit larger and like the golden it had its short bill and characteristic shore bird plover shape. To make doubly sure I'd make it fly for when this bird flies you can see black under its wings which clearly identifies it. I felt guilty doing this as I nudged towards the bird for there couldn't be a more tranquil yet wild vista anywhere. I was the intruder. Sure enough when it got up I could see its black underparts. It was in the right place along the shore not in the fields where golden plovers prefer. New Moon Above Our sunset soon blended into night and a new slice of silvery moon hung low on the horizon. It would be with us only a few hours before it set. How clear and sharp it shone in the black blue sky. Lights in the houses along the bay started to pop on and soon after the stars that are always there came out. We sat in the cockpit of the boat a long time and talked about this and that. The world was ours. What a treat to be here. As our conversation ran down we knew it was time to turn in. We left the plover on the beach wondering if he'd be there in the morning or if he would have taken off on another leg of his journey south. We were grateful for the uncluttered beaches of Robins Island. Would there always be beaches and open space for migrating birds? If *not we shall -surely lose this heritage of wildlife (hat had a history of near extinction but now has been given a new chance because of man's wisdom and concern. FOR ALL YOUR CATERING NEEDS ,/da!a.�c -Woad, �cc� (�o9.nz�c /tGwlli�.uck ...tfano2� FOR INFORMATION CALL: Dean Blaikie or Chris Russell at: 766 -1010 SECOND SECTION The *Uffolh Timeg Birds, People Heading South By PAUL STOUTENBURGH The fall migration of birds actually started months ago when those early shore birds that were so anxious to move north in March and April were headed back south in July. I'd see them when we were out on the water, tight bundles of low flying birds with a deliberate desti- nation in their flight. Some had flown from as far away as the Arctic, where they bred and were now moving south with a new crop of young. Through the rest of September we'll see remnants of this once great movement of shore birds that in days gone by were the target of market gunners all along our eastern seaboard. Starting in Maine, these efficient gun- ners took tremendous tolls on shore birds of all kinds. Luring them in with decoys they literally devastated a flock with one shot from their large gauge market guns. The lure to the decoy and the habit of flying in flocks was what almost brought these birds to the brink of extinction. Collected and shipped to the big cities by the barrels, they brought a few cents apiece but added up it made market gunning profitable. Picked and dressed they were a gourmet's delight and sought after by the great eating places where people flocked to dine on these delicacies. Thanks to today's conservation move- ment and the passage of strict game laws, we still get smatterings of what once was one of the greatest sights in nature. There's many an account of great VON t�a4d[�c� clouds of shore irds that once moved up and down our eastern seaboard and our own Great South Bay area was one of the prime hunting grounds of market gun- ners who supplied the ready markets of New York. Golden Plover Seen Coming home last Wednesday I looked across one of the many sod farms that dot our landscape and saw a small group of the rarest of shore birds, the golden plover. What a beautiful name. What a beautiful bird. It gets its name from the golden appearance of the speckled feath- ers on its dark brown back. This along with its jet -black belly makes this shore bird easily identified. Look for it on golf courses, sod farms or recently- harvested potato fields, where it can be picked out readily. They're a chunky bird about the size of a robin but stockier and have the habit of running and stopping, running and stopping. Often these birds fly over vast stretches of the Atlantic Ocean in their fall migration and it's only occa- sionally that we see them here on Long Island. t -;vw 85 EAST MAIN STREET, RIVERHEAD • 727 -9824 OPEN: Monday - Saturday 7:00 AM -8:00 PM SPECIALS MONDAY Sauerbraten w /Dumplings & Red Cabbage $A 75 TUESDAY Broiled Flounder $405 THURSDAY Corned Beef & Cabbage $425 FRIDAY Beef Goulash $425 WEDNESDAY SATURDAY Roast Loin of Pork 1/2 Baked Chicken w /Sauerkraut w /Stuffing $475 $400 All above served with POTATO, VEGETABLE and ROLL or BREAD ALL DESSERTS ARE HOMEMADE — Cheesecake, Pies &Puddings September 15, 1983 BLACK- BELLIED PLOVER - -There are three plovers that visit our area in their fall migration. The black - bellied plover pictured above is the most common, while the golden and upland plover are much more difficult to find. Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh Another similar bird of almost the same size and proportion is the black - bellied plover. These birds too have been passing through our area. We saw them the other evening when we went out in our boat SeaWind to stay overnight off Robins Island. What a change of pace from the busyness of home. The quiet of the lagoon with only one other boat told us the summer folks had fled. The waterways, like our roadways, have once again become tolerable. In a beautiful orange red sunset we ate dinner and soaked up the splendor of the setting sun. I noticed a single bird flying along the stony shore. It had to be a shore bird but what one? It is times like this that you can do as you please and so I got in the dinghy and went along the shore to check it. In the glow of sunset and with the help of my binoculars I picked Up the black - bellied plover running and stop- ping, running and stopping, feeding in between. It looked very similar to the golden plover, except it was a bit larger and like the golden it-had its short bill and characteristic shore bird plover shape. To make doubly sure I'd make it fly for when this bird flies you can see black under its wings which clearly identifies it. I felt guilty doing this as I nudged towards the bird for there couldn't be a more tranquil yet wild vista anywhere. I was the intruder. Sure enough when it got up I could see its black underparts. It was in the right place along the shore not in the fields where golden plovers prefer. New Moon Above Our sunset soon blended into night and a new slice of silvery moon hung low on the horizon. It would be with us only a few hours before it set. How clear and sharp it shone in the black blue sky. Lights in the houses along the bay started to pop on and soon after the stars that are always there came out. We sat in the cockpit of the boat a long time and talked about this and that. The world was ours. What a treat to be here. As our conversation ran down we knew it was time to turn in. We left the plover on the beach wondering if he'd be there in the morning or if he would have taken off on another leg of his journey south. We were grateful for the uncluttered beaches of Robins Island. Would there always be beaches and open space for migrating birds? If not we shall surely lose this heritage of wildlife that had a history of near extinction but now has been given a new chance because of man's wisdom and concern. FOR ALL YOUR CATERING NEEDS 146" .W1oad, llffa,t� (9-"n-4 _WWW ") FOR INFORMATION CALL: Dean Blaikie or Chris Russell at: 765 -1010