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September 21, 2000 - Al fresco dining, overlooking the baySA • The Suffolk Times • September 21, 2000 Al fresco dining, As you remember, Barbara and 1 had taken the boat out to one of our popular beaches that are usually empty at this time of the year. Since we found it -so enjoyable, we decided to make the next evening a dining -out night, one where , we'd take our din- ner and some Focus portable chairs to ON the beach and watch the sun go NATURE down. Actually it by Paul worked out so Stoutenburgh well that we went for the next three evenings, each one seemingly better than the one before. Our first night found us near an old osprey platform with one of the birds still lingering around. Evidently there is enough food in the bays for it, and the weather was warm enough that it was staying late. Usually the ospreys leave for the south from late August through September, with a few hang- ing around until November. It was a perfect evening as we sat and watched the sun go down over the marsh with the chirping of the osprey off in the distance letting us know that all was well in its world. Our next night took us out into the bay, where we were amazed to see how many boats had already been taken out for winter storage. We keep our little Boston Whaler in up until ice time, for there are some wonderful days right through the fall we like to take advantage of. overloo n the bay We seldom see these "big" white terns In our Suffolk photo by local Times Theylaretusual- ly found farther south. Just last week three were seen feeding on baby bunkers in one of our creeks. And by "taking advantage of," I mean it's those impromptu times we find are the key to successful living. When the opportunity knocks, we always try to grab it before it slips away. On these evenings we took our dinner with us; some nights we had hot corn on the cob, sometimes it was cold salads; no matter what it was, it didn't matter, for what we were out for was not so much the food but the sheer enjoyment of our world with its sunsets, its ever - changing bay and its splendid twilight. On one of our trips out the tide was so low we naa to push the boat oil the mud where it was stranded. Because of this low tide there were three royal terns, rather rare visitors from the south, that were diving for baby bunkers. Royal terns are big terns. They are almost the size of a small gull but much sleeker in body, with long tapered wings and a bright orange bill and black cap. They are very similar in appearance to our common tern that we see during the summer but with 'a much different call. Usually I see these royal terns flying through the bays or resting on sand bars, but never have I seen them in the creek before, so this was a first for me. Also feeding in the shallow waters were numerous great white egrets who have already had their young and, like most birds, are now heading south. Of course, there was the great blue heron. It flew low with its big wings flapping and then a long glide to an isolated marsh to stalk killies and grass shrimp. One or two of these three- foot -high herons will try to stay through the winter, but they always risk the chance o starvation because of the cold weather. They can eke out a living provided it doesn't freeze up and cover their hunting grounds with ice. We live in the woods and don't get the sunsets that often blanket our western sky, so we were particularly taken by the lovely sunsets on those nights we had chosen to have dinner out. No better atmosphere for dining could we have found. One evening we i ainner by the edge of the water at adow Beach. Now that all the pro - tive fencing for the endangered vers and terns has been removed, were able to walk along that Wildlife has to eat, too We were amazed to find that either a fox or raccoon had been there before us and enjoyed a fine meal or two of turtle eggs. The culprit had recently dug up five or six nests of dia mondback terrapins, and as we searched through the rubble of sand e ound the telltale remains of the soft egg shells. The turtles had laid their eggs high on the beach and left them there to hatch. In the meantime a fox or raccoon with its sharp nose was able to detect the eggs and dig them up. Another theory is based on the fact that the eggs might have been hatch- ing and the young turtles were scratching through their shells and making their way out of the nest. With ut,s activity our culprit migh ai�T —v l heard them and that led to their, destruction. No matter, it was sad to see .but that's the way it goes with life on the beach. One bit of history about this partic- ular beach: In the late '30s this mag- nificent beach and its lush marsh in back were scheduled to be filled and developed. The plan was already in motion with a huge dredge ready to suck up fill from the bay bottom to smother the marsh and get it ready for 50 homes on 50 -foot lots. Then the 1938 hurricane struck and sank the dredge and with it went all the plans for development, Today Nature owns the area and the only trace of that devilish scheme is an old rusty hunk of iron from the dredge that sticks up amongst the now- deserted tern colony, a monu- ment to a mis- guided plan. As our evenings passed we became aware of the moon ris- ing an hour later each night. Then on our last evening it roge I out of the east in all its splendor, a true harvest moon, big and bright. As it slipped out of the darkened horizon, it took on a pinkish - yellow color. It was the perfect ending to our three nights of dining out. Just before bed- time that night I went outside to close up.the chickens. The air was full of wonderful night sounds and the woods were flooded in moonlight. High above .was the moon, smaller now and paler. It was on its way to the west. SA • The Suffolk Times • September 21, 2000 Al fresco dining, As you remember, Barbara and 1 had taken the boat out to one of our popular beaches that are usually empty at this time of the year. Since we found it -so enjoyable, we decided to make the next evening a dining -out night, one where , we'd take our din- ner and some Focus portable chairs to ON the beach and watch the sun go NATURE down. Actually it by Paul worked out so Stoutenburgh well that we went for the next three evenings, each one seemingly better than the one before. Our first night found us near an old osprey platform with one of the birds still lingering around. Evidently there is enough food in the bays for it, and the weather was warm enough that it was staying late. Usually the ospreys leave for the south from late August through September, with a few hang- ing around until November. It was a perfect evening as we sat and watched the sun go down over the marsh with the chirping of the osprey off in the distance letting us know that all was well in its world. Our next night took us out into the bay, where we were amazed to see how many boats had already been taken out for winter storage. We keep our little Boston Whaler in up until ice time, for there are some wonderful days right through the fall we like to take advantage of. overloo n the bay We seldom see these "big" white terns In our Suffolk photo by local Times Theylaretusual- ly found farther south. Just last week three were seen feeding on baby bunkers in one of our creeks. And by "taking advantage of," I mean it's those impromptu times we find are the key to successful living. When the opportunity knocks, we always try to grab it before it slips away. On these evenings we took our dinner with us; some nights we had hot corn on the cob, sometimes it was cold salads; no matter what it was, it didn't matter, for what we were out for was not so much the food but the sheer enjoyment of our world with its sunsets, its ever - changing bay and its splendid twilight. On one of our trips out the tide was so low we naa to push the boat oil the mud where it was stranded. Because of this low tide there were three royal terns, rather rare visitors from the south, that were diving for baby bunkers. Royal terns are big terns. They are almost the size of a small gull but much sleeker in body, with long tapered wings and a bright orange bill and black cap. They are very similar in appearance to our common tern that we see during the summer but with 'a much different call. Usually I see these royal terns flying through the bays or resting on sand bars, but never have I seen them in the creek before, so this was a first for me. Also feeding in the shallow waters were numerous great white egrets who have already had their young and, like most birds, are now heading south. Of course, there was the great blue heron. It flew low with its big wings flapping and then a long glide to an isolated marsh to stalk killies and grass shrimp. One or two of these three- foot -high herons will try to stay through the winter, but they always risk the chance o starvation because of the cold weather. They can eke out a living provided it doesn't freeze up and cover their hunting grounds with ice. We live in the woods and don't get the sunsets that often blanket our western sky, so we were particularly taken by the lovely sunsets on those nights we had chosen to have dinner out. No better atmosphere for dining could we have found. One evening we i ainner by the edge of the water at adow Beach. Now that all the pro - tive fencing for the endangered vers and terns has been removed, were able to walk along that Wildlife has to eat, too We were amazed to find that either a fox or raccoon had been there before us and enjoyed a fine meal or two of turtle eggs. The culprit had recently dug up five or six nests of dia mondback terrapins, and as we searched through the rubble of sand e ound the telltale remains of the soft egg shells. The turtles had laid their eggs high on the beach and left them there to hatch. In the meantime a fox or raccoon with its sharp nose was able to detect the eggs and dig them up. Another theory is based on the fact that the eggs might have been hatch- ing and the young turtles were scratching through their shells and making their way out of the nest. With ut,s activity our culprit migh ai�T —v l heard them and that led to their, destruction. No matter, it was sad to see .but that's the way it goes with life on the beach. One bit of history about this partic- ular beach: In the late '30s this mag- nificent beach and its lush marsh in back were scheduled to be filled and developed. The plan was already in motion with a huge dredge ready to suck up fill from the bay bottom to smother the marsh and get it ready for 50 homes on 50 -foot lots. Then the 1938 hurricane struck and sank the dredge and with it went all the plans for development, Today Nature owns the area and the only trace of that devilish scheme is an old rusty hunk of iron from the dredge that sticks up amongst the now- deserted tern colony, a monu- ment to a mis- guided plan. As our evenings passed we became aware of the moon ris- ing an hour later each night. Then on our last evening it roge I out of the east in all its splendor, a true harvest moon, big and bright. As it slipped out of the darkened horizon, it took on a pinkish - yellow color. It was the perfect ending to our three nights of dining out. Just before bed- time that night I went outside to close up.the chickens. The air was full of wonderful night sounds and the woods were flooded in moonlight. High above .was the moon, smaller now and paler. It was on its way to the west. SA • The Suffolk Times • September 21, 2000 Al fresco dining, As you remember, Barbara and 1 had taken the boat out to one of our popular beaches that are usually empty at this time of the year. Since we found it -so enjoyable, we decided to make the next evening a dining -out night, one where , we'd take our din- ner and some Focus portable chairs to ON the beach and watch the sun go NATURE down. Actually it by Paul worked out so Stoutenburgh well that we went for the next three evenings, each one seemingly better than the one before. Our first night found us near an old osprey platform with one of the birds still lingering around. Evidently there is enough food in the bays for it, and the weather was warm enough that it was staying late. Usually the ospreys leave for the south from late August through September, with a few hang- ing around until November. It was a perfect evening as we sat and watched the sun go down over the marsh with the chirping of the osprey off in the distance letting us know that all was well in its world. Our next night took us out into the bay, where we were amazed to see how many boats had already been taken out for winter storage. We keep our little Boston Whaler in up until ice time, for there are some wonderful days right through the fall we like to take advantage of. overloo n the bay We seldom see these "big" white terns In our Suffolk photo by local Times Theylaretusual- ly found farther south. Just last week three were seen feeding on baby bunkers in one of our creeks. And by "taking advantage of," I mean it's those impromptu times we find are the key to successful living. When the opportunity knocks, we always try to grab it before it slips away. On these evenings we took our dinner with us; some nights we had hot corn on the cob, sometimes it was cold salads; no matter what it was, it didn't matter, for what we were out for was not so much the food but the sheer enjoyment of our world with its sunsets, its ever - changing bay and its splendid twilight. On one of our trips out the tide was so low we naa to push the boat oil the mud where it was stranded. Because of this low tide there were three royal terns, rather rare visitors from the south, that were diving for baby bunkers. Royal terns are big terns. They are almost the size of a small gull but much sleeker in body, with long tapered wings and a bright orange bill and black cap. They are very similar in appearance to our common tern that we see during the summer but with 'a much different call. Usually I see these royal terns flying through the bays or resting on sand bars, but never have I seen them in the creek before, so this was a first for me. Also feeding in the shallow waters were numerous great white egrets who have already had their young and, like most birds, are now heading south. Of course, there was the great blue heron. It flew low with its big wings flapping and then a long glide to an isolated marsh to stalk killies and grass shrimp. One or two of these three- foot -high herons will try to stay through the winter, but they always risk the chance o starvation because of the cold weather. They can eke out a living provided it doesn't freeze up and cover their hunting grounds with ice. We live in the woods and don't get the sunsets that often blanket our western sky, so we were particularly taken by the lovely sunsets on those nights we had chosen to have dinner out. No better atmosphere for dining could we have found. One evening we i ainner by the edge of the water at adow Beach. Now that all the pro - tive fencing for the endangered vers and terns has been removed, were able to walk along that Wildlife has to eat, too We were amazed to find that either a fox or raccoon had been there before us and enjoyed a fine meal or two of turtle eggs. The culprit had recently dug up five or six nests of dia mondback terrapins, and as we searched through the rubble of sand e ound the telltale remains of the soft egg shells. The turtles had laid their eggs high on the beach and left them there to hatch. In the meantime a fox or raccoon with its sharp nose was able to detect the eggs and dig them up. Another theory is based on the fact that the eggs might have been hatch- ing and the young turtles were scratching through their shells and making their way out of the nest. With ut,s activity our culprit migh ai�T —v l heard them and that led to their, destruction. No matter, it was sad to see .but that's the way it goes with life on the beach. One bit of history about this partic- ular beach: In the late '30s this mag- nificent beach and its lush marsh in back were scheduled to be filled and developed. The plan was already in motion with a huge dredge ready to suck up fill from the bay bottom to smother the marsh and get it ready for 50 homes on 50 -foot lots. Then the 1938 hurricane struck and sank the dredge and with it went all the plans for development, Today Nature owns the area and the only trace of that devilish scheme is an old rusty hunk of iron from the dredge that sticks up amongst the now- deserted tern colony, a monu- ment to a mis- guided plan. As our evenings passed we became aware of the moon ris- ing an hour later each night. Then on our last evening it roge I out of the east in all its splendor, a true harvest moon, big and bright. As it slipped out of the darkened horizon, it took on a pinkish - yellow color. It was the perfect ending to our three nights of dining out. Just before bed- time that night I went outside to close up.the chickens. The air was full of wonderful night sounds and the woods were flooded in moonlight. High above .was the moon, smaller now and paler. It was on its way to the west.