May 21, 2009 - South Fork foray brings great rewardsMAY 21, 2009 1 SUFFOLKTIMES.COM
We were bathed in the wonders of a warm an-&—
brilliant sun all the way from our home in Cu-
tchogue to our destination in Montauk. For the fun
of it we took our newly acquired GPS and marveled
at the metallic voice as it told us how far to go, when
to turn, and even when to get on the ferries. It truly
is a tremendous aid in helping you get to a destina-
tion you're not at all familiar with. Of course, we've
been to Montauk many times, but this was the first
time we were guided with the help of the GPS.
Our first stop was my favorite used bookstore in
East Hampton. Here were volumes of goodies on
a wide assortment of natural history topics and I
just had to have a few of them for our leisure read-
ing during our overnight stay on the ocean.. After
our stop here we enjoyed a great fish sandwich at
Papa Joe's Cafe.
FOCUS ON NATURE tern W we eaalgt
to. our motel on the
ocean. We could
almost end this nar-
rative right here, for
our room opened up
on a balcony where
PAUL STOUTENBURGH I could set up my
tripod and scope
in the warm afternoon sun just in case some-
thing might show up in the bird world. From our
vantage point I could sweep the mighty ocean for
anything that might pass by. Sorry to say, I spotted
only a single cormorant and a few gulls.
After birding and reading for some time we
watched a lone fishing boat dragging its nets
miles to the south. Now there's a rugged life: wild,
dangerous and always a gamble. With today's fuel
prices many of the commercial fishing boats can't .
afford to leave the docks.
The whole time we stayed at our lookout by the sea
a song sparrow filled the air. with its familiar song. It's
the small sparrow that comes to our feeders and can
be easily identified by the dark spot on its chest.
We were surprised when my oldest son showed
up to take us to dinner, so we headed down to
the heart of the fishing. docks, where restaurants
beckoned us. Peter and I enjoyed some great fresh
oysters on the half -shell while Barbara had a bowl
of New England clam chowder, all followed by local
steamed mussels and scallops for dinner. What a
treat to have such fresh seafood.
After dinner we walked like typical tourists along
the lineup of parry boats. One was icing down its
day's catch and when asked what they had brought
South Fork
foray brings
great rewards
Almost any time
of the day you c<
find this herring
gull scavenging
for food along
our shores.
From this vantage point you can view the stalag-
ite -like eroded cliffs that are so unusual. From
ere we headed on to the point, where we searche
r more birds before heading back home after two
--at days on the South Fork, enjoying beautiful
ring weather that triggered the ornamental trees,
igwoods and beach plums to blossom.
cheeriest songs
you'll hear around
your backyard
is that of the
little song sparrow,
which nests on the
ground. Here we
caught him singing
�,;; his heart out.
Ali
PAUL AND BARBARA STOUTENBURGH P
rugged fishing boats are having a hard time making it with the high cost of fuel, the scarcity of fish and new n
mitinQ their catch.
in, the reply was "monkfish." I can remember years
ago when monkfish, like blowfish, were considered
trash fish. Today they are both prized as some of
the best eating fish on the market.
Next morning I was up early scanning the beach
for anything the ocean might have turned up. Once
again seeing nothing but gulls patrolling the beach,
I was disappointed, but that didn't last long as the
brilliant sun and the sparkling sea put me on an
early- morning high.
I started to see birds far off milling about as the
day slipped into a more normal pace. Even with
my 20-powered scope I couldn't be that sure what
they were. My guess was they were mostly imma-
ture gannets.
Some appeared to have long necks as I watched
their blackbodies flying close to the surface of the
water. Could they be cormorants? I wondered if the
commercial fishing boat I could see had also noticed
the birds working and headed in their direction.
ny now me coolness of e early morning was re-
placed by the warmth'of the sun and I was listening
to the loud song of a mockingbird. How he did sing!
He literally took over with all the songs of the day
from the highest tree in the yard. It seems everyone
has a mockingbird that sings its heart out, espe-
cially during mating season.
Evidently people must feed the seagulls here for
one landed right outside our window.
"Quick! Get the camera before he heads for bet-
ter pickin's!"
Sure enough, he was rewarded with some crusts
of bread and we were rewarded by photographing
him close up.
Our time soon ran out at the ocean and we
headed for the newly acquired Camp Hero State
Park that always brings back memories of World
Mar 11, for in the background that huge antenna,
iow obsolete, still stands.