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October 11, 2007 - Handouts for chickadeesThe Suffolk Times • October 11, 2007 for / / o u �- 1 Nl {l�,ru Which one is the biggest? WN, / nlll N „ N,' yy 1 ,(I X41 Id MOWN k N ��< �''" M'rn "%�/�' ,pay.✓ � 'an I take two? 1 N I 1' N// ," I'll take this one... �rdnl�lll, ts / r / i Suffolk Times photos by Barbara Stou Thanks... This article is for parents and grandparents and all those who love the out -of- doors. Some years agc I wrote about a special place called the Elizabeth A. Morton National Wildlife Refuge, where the big attraction is hand - feeding birds. It's a-bit out of the way for us here on the North Fork, but it's well worth the extra time and effort it takes to get there. The one thing you must take with you is a small container of sunflower seeds. The eyes. of your young people will light up as a chickadee lands on their outstretched hands in search of a sunflower seed. As the chickadee lands, you might hear a high- pitched squeal. That's because the sensation from those tiny claws gripping the child's hand for the first time is so unusual. But the surprise of those little claws soon wears off as the bright -eyed bits, of fluff continually come back for more seeds. You'll even find yourself indulging in this hand- out routine and you will chuck FOCUS le when you feel the tiny claws holding onto your hand. They O N land only for a few seconds and then they're off to work at NATURE getting the sweet meat out of the seed. by Paul If you have extra sunflower Stoutenburgh seed when you're ready to leave, do not, I repeat, do not leave it or throw it on the trail. The reason is that surplus seed left anywhere around will attract rats. The bill of the chickadee is especially designed for heavy pounding. If you have ever watched one pounding a sunflower seed to get at the'meat, you've seen why they need this strong hAmmer -like bill' , The male and female chickadees look the same. They have become so popular that they have been named the state bird of Maine and Massachusetts. (Our state bird is the bluebird.) The chickadee gets its name from its familiar call "chick -.a -dee -dee or "dee- dee - dee." Its song is a clear "fee -bee" whistle. Chickadees do not migrate a long distance like some birds when the cold north winds start to blow. However, a small percentage will move to new ter- ritory to nest. At nesting time the chickadee looks for a cavity nest. Finding none, both the male and female work together to chisel out a cavity in a soft dead limb or tree. This may take them two weeks with both of them working on it. Chickadees also use a wide variety of nesting sites that might include one of your bird boxes or perhaps a woodpecker's abandoned home. The female will lay five to 10 eggs, six is average, and both female and male will incubate the eggs. They feed the young a wide assortment of insect eggs, beetles, aphids, spiders, seeds and fruit. If you ever watch a chickadee feeding, you'll see one of the busiest little creatures probing here and there, some times even upside down, but always busy searching. Some of the food they find will get stored away " for hard times. We've often watched "our" chicka- dees with a sunflower seed fly off to a nearby tree where they wedge it under the bark to stay until they return for it. Whether the same bird actually claims the sunflower seed later or someone else get to enjoy it, I cannot say. Ikind1 ve even seen them take advantage of the sap- sucker's well of sap. For those of you who might not know what I'm referring to, a sapsucker is a wood- pecker that chisels small holes in trees, enough to make the tree bleed, so to speak. Then the sapsucker s, eturns to the tree from time to time and drinks the ap that runs out. So you see, the chickadee I spoke bout takes advantage of the free drink of sap by vis. ting the sapsucker's holes — pretty smart chickadee, 'd say. They say it has two advantages; besides the ap they can drink, the sweet sap entices insects of all and they are an added feature for the birds. Somewhere I read that a certain chickadee lived be 121/2 years old. How do they know that? here is a dedicated group of bird banders who cap- ture birds and put information bands on their legs, and here's where dedication comes in. The people rbanders is bandin ear after ear occasionally reca g one o the it s t ey an a .Seeing ere ate on the band, it gives them some idea of ge of the bird. We have one of those dedicated right here on the North Fork. Do you know him? Chickadees often travel with other birds such as kinglets, brown creepers, woodpeckers; nuthatches, titmice, etc., and it's a delight to hear them chatter- ing as you go for a hike. As you move along you get glimpses of them busy hunting out bits of nourish- ment along the trail. They are continually on the move and come into sight for just a moment and then they're off again. I hope I've sparked your interest in this wonder- ful 187 -acre prize, the Elizabeth A. Morton National Wildlife Refuge, or, as some know it, Jessups Neck. As more and more houses are built, we lose more and more valuable habitat. That is why it's so im- portant that there are places like this where you can see, hear, and in some cases feed the wildlife. In this case the chickadee that feeds right from your hand is a joy to behold. To get to the refuge we usually take the ferry and cross Shelter Island to the south side. When you _.— V11 LUC oUui❑ rerry you're in one of the most thickly populated deer areas you'll ever find. So beware. Even in midday deer wander in the roads, so drive with an eye out for these hazards of the Stay on the road from the ferry until you come to a traffic circle; take the road off the circle that point to the causeway. What a beautiful beach the people of Sag Harbor have. It runs the full length of the C At the end of the causeway keep driving west. You'll be on County Road 38, locally known s Noyack Road. Stay on this until you come, to the ign for Elizabeth A. Morton National Wildlife Ref - ge on your right. Here you'll find information shelters that tell of he various trails, along with the distance and time 't takes to walk them. There are also clean bath- looms and ample parking. There is a $4 charge to park a car. This fee helps to defer some of the cost that goes into the maintenance of trails, bathroom cleanup,. educational materials and other expenses that continually need attention. If the nice weather holds, take advantage of it and visit this wildlife refuge. You'll enjoy it.