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October 12, 2000 - Cruel rules, courtesy of Mother Nature• The Suffolk Times • October 12, 2000 rue es, courtesy otu Mother Nature LAST WEEK I TOOK ADVANTAGE Of those beautiful days we had when it was up in the 70s and 800s and just relaxed around the place. I noticed how many leaves had already fallen, sort of an indicator of things to come. Upon close examination I found the leaves weren't healthy. They Focus seemed to be the ones that were ON gnawed by in- NATURE sects or hit by a by Paul disease of some Stoutenburgh sort because the leaves above were just as healthy and green as you could ask for. Yet there has been this continual drifting down of spent leaves, so I guess as fall approaches these are the first to go. Surely it is a bit too early for leaves to fall now. The exception being the occasional black walnut, which often loses its leaves early, leav- ing its skeleton of bare branches with only the green- covered walnuts hang- ing on. When these goodies fall or even before, they will attract the gray squirrels who will feast on them and grow fat. That fat will prepare_ them for the cold winter ahead. I see an eastern phoebe, which is a flycatcher, sitting on the barbed -wire fence out back. As it sits, it bobs its tail up and down, a hallmark of this flycatcher. Another interesting thing about most flycatchers, including this one, is the fact that at the base of the bill there is a series of hairs or bristles that direct the flying insect into the mouth of the bird. This, combined with a flat - pointed bill, makes them deadly aerial hunters. Suffolk Times photo oy raui aioutunuuryr Autumn Is the best time to see the praying mantis for it's the last molt that gives them wings that enable them to find a mate. This mating ritual is most unfortunate for the male, who Is then eaten by the female. Flycatchers on the move It swoops down and snaps up a fly- ing insect only to return to the fence and await its next meal. As I sit and watch this flycatcher, I notice there is another and another and then two more on the trees in the garden. I'm sure there were more. There must have been a migration of them that moved in on yesterday's brisk cool air. Now with the warm weather of today they are enjoying the spoils of the flying insect world. It's nice to see them. I only wish I had one nesting or the property. Years ago we had one build its nest under the eaves of our porch but that was many years ago. Thev build their mud - plastered nests on beams in barns, inside sheds and, in general, enjoy man -made structures to build their nests under. The very next day I decided to go out and see if they were still around, but no, they had refueled in my pas- ture and with that energy boost head- ed south again on the next leg of their journey. Eventually they will wind up where it is warm and insects abound. They'll stay all winter until the urge brings them back north again in the spring. But in the meantime, they'll do their job of collecting and devouring the insects of the south. There are two red - tailed hawks sit- ting on my windmill. I think it is one of the parent birds teaching the single young how to hunt. Today's les- son is one of wait- ing from a high perch above. There are two ways this hawk hunts: One is the one I've just men- tioned where the bird perches and waits for some- thing to move below; the other is to soar high above on thermals, scan- ning the country- side for some small animal that's let its guard down. We can see these red - tailed hawks almost every day They've increased in num- bers from when I was a kid. With a sharp -eye you can actually see its rusty -red tail as the bird banks and swings around to catch another thermal. - Hawks usually lay two or three eggs, one every other day so that the one that hatches first gets the most food; because of that extra day it becomes bigger and stronger than its siblings. As a result the first one becomes stronger than the second one and so on. This competition in the nest is fierce, so fierce that as soon as the parent bird brings food in, the stronger one is always there to receive it and the weaker one becomes weak- er and weaker. In other words, should even the first one inat's. naicneo not ve strong, the second one would take its place and in time force the weaker bird out of the nest, or in some cases harass the weaker one so much that it eventually becomes food for the dominant young bird. It may seem to be a cruel world out there but it works for hawks. Usually there's only one survivor in the nest, the exception being if the food supply is plentiful and you can fill the stomachs of all the young; then there will be more than one hawk. fledged. So it is with my hawks up back on the windmill. One young hawk survives while its brother or sis- ter missed out. It's nature's wav of making sure that at least one strong, healthy hawk survives. During this wonderful day of leisure Barbara and I walked down to the dock to enjoy the splendor of a flood tide. As we sat there this odd four- to five -inch elongated body with flapping wings came by and landed on the now -ripe thatch grass nearby. It blend- ed in perfectly with the ripening fall marsh color of golden brown. Barbara got up to see what it was and found it to be a praying mantis. A praying mantis starts its life from inside a hardened frothy mass that reminds you of a walnut attached to a stem or twig of a tree. When the warmth of spring comes along, the wiggling little insect that is vulnerable to all kinds of predators. But some make it and develop slowly into the praying mantis most are familiar with. We usually don't see them during the summer because they are so well cam- ouflaged in their brown and green dress and, of course, they are much smaller then. Each of these praying mantises is what the book calls a "lone wolf' hunter for it searches endlessly for something to eat. Praying mantises are deadly predators, size of prey being no barrier; They have actually seen a praying mantis catch humminebirds. buttertttes and wasps. Usually they just lie and wait for their prey to walk within striking distance. Then other times they will stalk their victims almost with the stealth of a heron stalking killies. It 'starts its meal of captured prey by biting into the back of the insect's neck, which quickly paralyzes the victim. Praying mantises do not bite people. They are one of the most beneficial of all insects to the gardener and farmer. Here is a rare case where an introduced species has actually bene- fited the country. All summer long the' praying mantis has grown from the tiny egg to the now final molt and into sexual maturity. In this final molt it emerges with wings, as Barbara and I saw it when it flew by us as we sat on the dock. Fall is the time for mating, a most precarious time for the male, for while he is attracted to the female she accepts him and then immediately kills and devours him. Sometimes the female will attract three or four males, devouring each one in turn. There is no struggle, just an accepted rule of the day that the male praying mantis accepts. Even if he did succeed in escaping the ravages of the female, as winter approaches he would die just as the female will when the cold weather moves in. This would hold true even if you took .them indoors and fed them well; they are pro- grammed to die. It is part of their cycle of life. And so we sat by the dock and won- dered at all that goes on around us. Our East End is a place you can mar- vel at and always come up with a new wonder. It's just a matter of getting • The Suffolk Times • October 12, 2000 rue es, courtesy otu Mother Nature LAST WEEK I TOOK ADVANTAGE Of those beautiful days we had when it was up in the 70s and 800s and just relaxed around the place. I noticed how many leaves had already fallen, sort of an indicator of things to come. Upon close examination I found the leaves weren't healthy. They Focus seemed to be the ones that were ON gnawed by in- NATURE sects or hit by a by Paul disease of some Stoutenburgh sort because the leaves above were just as healthy and green as you could ask for. Yet there has been this continual drifting down of spent leaves, so I guess as fall approaches these are the first to go. Surely it is a bit too early for leaves to fall now. The exception being the occasional black walnut, which often loses its leaves early, leav- ing its skeleton of bare branches with only the green- covered walnuts hang- ing on. When these goodies fall or even before, they will attract the gray squirrels who will feast on them and grow fat. That fat will prepare_ them for the cold winter ahead. I see an eastern phoebe, which is a flycatcher, sitting on the barbed -wire fence out back. As it sits, it bobs its tail up and down, a hallmark of this flycatcher. Another interesting thing about most flycatchers, including this one, is the fact that at the base of the bill there is a series of hairs or bristles that direct the flying insect into the mouth of the bird. This, combined with a flat - pointed bill, makes them deadly aerial hunters. Suffolk Times photo oy raui aioutunuuryr Autumn Is the best time to see the praying mantis for it's the last molt that gives them wings that enable them to find a mate. This mating ritual is most unfortunate for the male, who Is then eaten by the female. Flycatchers on the move It swoops down and snaps up a fly- ing insect only to return to the fence and await its next meal. As I sit and watch this flycatcher, I notice there is another and another and then two more on the trees in the garden. I'm sure there were more. There must have been a migration of them that moved in on yesterday's brisk cool air. Now with the warm weather of today they are enjoying the spoils of the flying insect world. It's nice to see them. I only wish I had one nesting or the property. Years ago we had one build its nest under the eaves of our porch but that was many years ago. Thev build their mud - plastered nests on beams in barns, inside sheds and, in general, enjoy man -made structures to build their nests under. The very next day I decided to go out and see if they were still around, but no, they had refueled in my pas- ture and with that energy boost head- ed south again on the next leg of their journey. Eventually they will wind up where it is warm and insects abound. They'll stay all winter until the urge brings them back north again in the spring. But in the meantime, they'll do their job of collecting and devouring the insects of the south. There are two red - tailed hawks sit- ting on my windmill. I think it is one of the parent birds teaching the single young how to hunt. Today's les- son is one of wait- ing from a high perch above. There are two ways this hawk hunts: One is the one I've just men- tioned where the bird perches and waits for some- thing to move below; the other is to soar high above on thermals, scan- ning the country- side for some small animal that's let its guard down. We can see these red - tailed hawks almost every day They've increased in num- bers from when I was a kid. With a sharp -eye you can actually see its rusty -red tail as the bird banks and swings around to catch another thermal. - Hawks usually lay two or three eggs, one every other day so that the one that hatches first gets the most food; because of that extra day it becomes bigger and stronger than its siblings. As a result the first one becomes stronger than the second one and so on. This competition in the nest is fierce, so fierce that as soon as the parent bird brings food in, the stronger one is always there to receive it and the weaker one becomes weak- er and weaker. In other words, should even the first one inat's. naicneo not ve strong, the second one would take its place and in time force the weaker bird out of the nest, or in some cases harass the weaker one so much that it eventually becomes food for the dominant young bird. It may seem to be a cruel world out there but it works for hawks. Usually there's only one survivor in the nest, the exception being if the food supply is plentiful and you can fill the stomachs of all the young; then there will be more than one hawk. fledged. So it is with my hawks up back on the windmill. One young hawk survives while its brother or sis- ter missed out. It's nature's wav of making sure that at least one strong, healthy hawk survives. During this wonderful day of leisure Barbara and I walked down to the dock to enjoy the splendor of a flood tide. As we sat there this odd four- to five -inch elongated body with flapping wings came by and landed on the now -ripe thatch grass nearby. It blend- ed in perfectly with the ripening fall marsh color of golden brown. Barbara got up to see what it was and found it to be a praying mantis. A praying mantis starts its life from inside a hardened frothy mass that reminds you of a walnut attached to a stem or twig of a tree. When the warmth of spring comes along, the wiggling little insect that is vulnerable to all kinds of predators. But some make it and develop slowly into the praying mantis most are familiar with. We usually don't see them during the summer because they are so well cam- ouflaged in their brown and green dress and, of course, they are much smaller then. Each of these praying mantises is what the book calls a "lone wolf' hunter for it searches endlessly for something to eat. Praying mantises are deadly predators, size of prey being no barrier; They have actually seen a praying mantis catch humminebirds. buttertttes and wasps. Usually they just lie and wait for their prey to walk within striking distance. Then other times they will stalk their victims almost with the stealth of a heron stalking killies. It 'starts its meal of captured prey by biting into the back of the insect's neck, which quickly paralyzes the victim. Praying mantises do not bite people. They are one of the most beneficial of all insects to the gardener and farmer. Here is a rare case where an introduced species has actually bene- fited the country. All summer long the' praying mantis has grown from the tiny egg to the now final molt and into sexual maturity. In this final molt it emerges with wings, as Barbara and I saw it when it flew by us as we sat on the dock. Fall is the time for mating, a most precarious time for the male, for while he is attracted to the female she accepts him and then immediately kills and devours him. Sometimes the female will attract three or four males, devouring each one in turn. There is no struggle, just an accepted rule of the day that the male praying mantis accepts. Even if he did succeed in escaping the ravages of the female, as winter approaches he would die just as the female will when the cold weather moves in. This would hold true even if you took .them indoors and fed them well; they are pro- grammed to die. It is part of their cycle of life. And so we sat by the dock and won- dered at all that goes on around us. Our East End is a place you can mar- vel at and always come up with a new wonder. It's just a matter of getting • The Suffolk Times • October 12, 2000 rue es, courtesy otu Mother Nature LAST WEEK I TOOK ADVANTAGE Of those beautiful days we had when it was up in the 70s and 800s and just relaxed around the place. I noticed how many leaves had already fallen, sort of an indicator of things to come. Upon close examination I found the leaves weren't healthy. They Focus seemed to be the ones that were ON gnawed by in- NATURE sects or hit by a by Paul disease of some Stoutenburgh sort because the leaves above were just as healthy and green as you could ask for. Yet there has been this continual drifting down of spent leaves, so I guess as fall approaches these are the first to go. Surely it is a bit too early for leaves to fall now. The exception being the occasional black walnut, which often loses its leaves early, leav- ing its skeleton of bare branches with only the green- covered walnuts hang- ing on. When these goodies fall or even before, they will attract the gray squirrels who will feast on them and grow fat. That fat will prepare_ them for the cold winter ahead. I see an eastern phoebe, which is a flycatcher, sitting on the barbed -wire fence out back. As it sits, it bobs its tail up and down, a hallmark of this flycatcher. Another interesting thing about most flycatchers, including this one, is the fact that at the base of the bill there is a series of hairs or bristles that direct the flying insect into the mouth of the bird. This, combined with a flat - pointed bill, makes them deadly aerial hunters. Suffolk Times photo oy raui aioutunuuryr Autumn Is the best time to see the praying mantis for it's the last molt that gives them wings that enable them to find a mate. This mating ritual is most unfortunate for the male, who Is then eaten by the female. Flycatchers on the move It swoops down and snaps up a fly- ing insect only to return to the fence and await its next meal. As I sit and watch this flycatcher, I notice there is another and another and then two more on the trees in the garden. I'm sure there were more. There must have been a migration of them that moved in on yesterday's brisk cool air. Now with the warm weather of today they are enjoying the spoils of the flying insect world. It's nice to see them. I only wish I had one nesting or the property. Years ago we had one build its nest under the eaves of our porch but that was many years ago. Thev build their mud - plastered nests on beams in barns, inside sheds and, in general, enjoy man -made structures to build their nests under. The very next day I decided to go out and see if they were still around, but no, they had refueled in my pas- ture and with that energy boost head- ed south again on the next leg of their journey. Eventually they will wind up where it is warm and insects abound. They'll stay all winter until the urge brings them back north again in the spring. But in the meantime, they'll do their job of collecting and devouring the insects of the south. There are two red - tailed hawks sit- ting on my windmill. I think it is one of the parent birds teaching the single young how to hunt. Today's les- son is one of wait- ing from a high perch above. There are two ways this hawk hunts: One is the one I've just men- tioned where the bird perches and waits for some- thing to move below; the other is to soar high above on thermals, scan- ning the country- side for some small animal that's let its guard down. We can see these red - tailed hawks almost every day They've increased in num- bers from when I was a kid. With a sharp -eye you can actually see its rusty -red tail as the bird banks and swings around to catch another thermal. - Hawks usually lay two or three eggs, one every other day so that the one that hatches first gets the most food; because of that extra day it becomes bigger and stronger than its siblings. As a result the first one becomes stronger than the second one and so on. This competition in the nest is fierce, so fierce that as soon as the parent bird brings food in, the stronger one is always there to receive it and the weaker one becomes weak- er and weaker. In other words, should even the first one inat's. naicneo not ve strong, the second one would take its place and in time force the weaker bird out of the nest, or in some cases harass the weaker one so much that it eventually becomes food for the dominant young bird. It may seem to be a cruel world out there but it works for hawks. Usually there's only one survivor in the nest, the exception being if the food supply is plentiful and you can fill the stomachs of all the young; then there will be more than one hawk. fledged. So it is with my hawks up back on the windmill. One young hawk survives while its brother or sis- ter missed out. It's nature's wav of making sure that at least one strong, healthy hawk survives. During this wonderful day of leisure Barbara and I walked down to the dock to enjoy the splendor of a flood tide. As we sat there this odd four- to five -inch elongated body with flapping wings came by and landed on the now -ripe thatch grass nearby. It blend- ed in perfectly with the ripening fall marsh color of golden brown. Barbara got up to see what it was and found it to be a praying mantis. A praying mantis starts its life from inside a hardened frothy mass that reminds you of a walnut attached to a stem or twig of a tree. When the warmth of spring comes along, the wiggling little insect that is vulnerable to all kinds of predators. But some make it and develop slowly into the praying mantis most are familiar with. We usually don't see them during the summer because they are so well cam- ouflaged in their brown and green dress and, of course, they are much smaller then. Each of these praying mantises is what the book calls a "lone wolf' hunter for it searches endlessly for something to eat. Praying mantises are deadly predators, size of prey being no barrier; They have actually seen a praying mantis catch humminebirds. buttertttes and wasps. Usually they just lie and wait for their prey to walk within striking distance. Then other times they will stalk their victims almost with the stealth of a heron stalking killies. It 'starts its meal of captured prey by biting into the back of the insect's neck, which quickly paralyzes the victim. Praying mantises do not bite people. They are one of the most beneficial of all insects to the gardener and farmer. Here is a rare case where an introduced species has actually bene- fited the country. All summer long the' praying mantis has grown from the tiny egg to the now final molt and into sexual maturity. In this final molt it emerges with wings, as Barbara and I saw it when it flew by us as we sat on the dock. Fall is the time for mating, a most precarious time for the male, for while he is attracted to the female she accepts him and then immediately kills and devours him. Sometimes the female will attract three or four males, devouring each one in turn. There is no struggle, just an accepted rule of the day that the male praying mantis accepts. Even if he did succeed in escaping the ravages of the female, as winter approaches he would die just as the female will when the cold weather moves in. This would hold true even if you took .them indoors and fed them well; they are pro- grammed to die. It is part of their cycle of life. And so we sat by the dock and won- dered at all that goes on around us. Our East End is a place you can mar- vel at and always come up with a new wonder. It's just a matter of getting