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October 20, 1988 - The Plight of the Loon Focus on Nature The Plight of the Loon By Paul Stoutenburgh When sailing the other day I was glad to see that loons have returned to our local waters after spending their summer on some lonely lake far to the north. Should any of you have been lucky enough this summer to get to the northern states or Canada, I hope you had the opportunity to see and hear these old friends on their breeding grounds. These loons are expert divers and from now until next spring they will be found along our bays, sound and ocean fronts. Somehow they manage to find enough to eat along the dimly lit bottoms to keep them through the long winter months. Loons are big birds that would rather dive than fly, for their streamlined bodies and powerful feet make them experts under water. They can stay submerged for a con- siderable time and often, when chased, only bring their head out of the water for a quick breath before returning to safety below. In summer, in their breeding plumage, they are handsome with their glossy black head and neck and white collar. The back is speckled black and white while the throat and underparts are white. Now, in their winter plumage, they become more drab with mottled gray above and white throat and underparts. I'm sure you've all heard the expression "crazy as a loon." It comes from the call the loon makes, which I think is one of nature's most thrilling wild sounds and not at all a crazy call. I can remember this call from when I was a small boy and entertain- ed myself by calling across the glass - mirrored bay to loons feeding. I was in a rowboat, lying on the bottom so the birds couldn't see me and as a loon would call I would mimic it. Calling Back and Forth In their quiet world across the bay they would answer with their strangely lilting call. As they answered, I'd answer and soon they were all around my boat. I was in a world of my own. As I peeked over the gun- nel of the boat I could see the long, pointed bill so essential for their underwater fishing. Up close I could see how large they were, somewhere between the size of a duck and a goose but without the long neck associated with the latter. It was a wonder- ful and memorable experience to be able to call and communicate with these master callers from across the bay. Loons are not on the hunting list of ducks but I'm afraid many are shot at by the uneducated hunter. What saves them is their aloofness and their mistrust of man. When approached, they usually dive, com- ing up a good distance away. They do not fly spontaneously as other ducks do when try- ing to escape but rather they disappear to safety below, leaving the pursuer bewildered. Loons are having a difficult time in today's world. As mentioned before, they nest on the remote and lonely lakes to the north and we know how few of these are left, what with man's intrusion with his array of motorized vehicles. This coupled with their need of a plentiful supply of Fish —a supply that is being diminished in our lakes and rivers by acid rain— accounts for the loon's nlioht. 137 Should the loon make it through the nesting period, it faces the curse of oil spills, plastics of all sorts along the sea bot- tom where it feeds and, of course, man's uneducated gun. Being at the top of the food chain, the loon accumulates all sorts of pesticide residues that have concentrated in the food it eats. No wonder we're seeing fewer and fewer of these handsome winter visitors. Good and Bad Days of Fall September and October can be the most beautiful time of the year and yet because it is also the hurricane season and the time when the north wind starts to test its strength, it can also be a pretty uncertain time of the year. Already we have had frost in the center of the island. Manorville and Ridge are often cooler by ten degrees than we on the East End. This is because of the salt water that practically surrounds us, giving us that ad- ded edge of warmth. It's one of the primary reasons the grape industry is able to do so well out here. We have feast a growing season that is at least a month longer than upstate. Just last week friends of ours down from Maine said their trees had turned already and ours haven't really started as yet. Yet there are some things, if you look closely, such as the Virginia creeper and poison ivy that have turned their reddish fall color. The sarsaparilla and false Solomon's seal in our woods have lost their green and turned to yellow. Baby turtles that developed during the warmth of summer are now feeling for the first time the chill of the air. Being cold - blooded it takes them a long time to warm up before they get into motion. I'm sure their instinct has told them on these cooler days to start looking for a place to hiber- nate. They'll find a soft spot in the woody duff of the forest floor while water turtles will burrow into the muddy bottom where they'll stay over while the winter roars above. During this long sleep their heart- beat will hardly be noticeable. They'll seem to be almost dead until spring triggers them awake. Winter Takes Over The outdoors is mustering itself for winter. Soon the leaves will fall and become part of the mulch that nurtures the forest. The lifeblood of sap will stop flowing and as the north winds blow through naked bran- ches, the trees will rest until spring. Winter once more will rule the woods till the sun starts to climb up closer and closer, back to the north, and once again it will be spring. Prompt 24 Hour Burner Service ENDENHALL FUEL, INC. 575 Montauk Hwy. 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AAA .s not an oHer�ng bmn the Homr tell onto $I. a �, I Vl CCC ^his a de. a.sns 1". 0.,an ody ha had. by /o.mal p.olPe� rah. Rh,eh hub Brews Rood Di onto ,e. ,a.baasa.,,baah,hanhr (g THE SOUTHAMPTON PRESS / OCTOBER 20, 1988