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August 05, 2010 - Looking at nature on a hot, humid daySUFFOLKTIMES.COM I AUGUST 5, 2010 0at nature on a hot, humid day ugly side of heat and humidity as much as it has in the past few weeks. One day recently we took ad- vantage of the coolest part of the day and headed down to the causeway, where we could stretch our legs before being forced back home and inside, away from that heat and humidity. All along the roadside we could see chicory, with that lovely blue flower that's sometimes called cornflower. In days past, when rations became scarce, this chicory FOCUS ON NATURE served as a substi- tute for coffee. The roots and leaves were roasted and ground to make the coffee, ,. but when I tried it /I never thought it made a very good substi- PAUL STOUTENBURGH rote. I guess when the chips are down you take what comes. You can purchase coffee blends today that include chicory if it suits your taste. I have found the intense blue color of the chicory flower most difficult to catch on film. In my expe- rience it is always over- or underexposed. I never seem satisfied with the results. We stopped on the causeway and got out and were greeted by a noisy mockingbird singing from the top of a cedar tree. He was giving calls of other birds as well as his own. He can mimic 10 to 15 oth- er birds, and often sings late into the night. Mockingbirds get most of their food value in fruit, and here along the beach were Russian olive bushes that the mockingbird was probably trying to protect for himself. Each year when we visit the causeway we see and hear the mockingbird in the area. The other songs we heard as we stepped from the car were the high - pitched calls of the smallest of terns, the least tern. There were 10 to 20 of these terns resting at the water's edge. They had robabl been out fishing for small spear- ing or other small fish that make up their ,diet. This is the bird you see pumping its wings at a rapid pace as it hovers above its prey just before dropping into the water in hopes of catching a meal. Some were just resting in the beach area that had been marked off to pro- tect the plovers and terns during their nesting period. Look for this bold songster, the mockingbird, in your shrubs and that bear fruit. eve been interested in keeping an eye on these least terns, as they appear to be nesting now. It did seem late, but someone was photographing the birds and had watched a young bird last night and saw another, larger young bird today. We've read that if their first nests are destroyed, they will nest again — some books say not after June 21 and oth- ers say as late as the nuacue of my, As long as I can remember, we've had least terns nesting on our beaches. We remember them as kids, when they would dive down on us if we walked near their nesting area. When anything moves into their area the et excited and start dive bombing and calling to such an extent that often the intruder is splattered with white wash. A group of sanderlings was running along the water's edge. By this time, many of our shore- birds, including the sanderlings, have nested in the far north and are on their way south, where they'll spend the winter. Along with the sanderlings was a lone willet probing for his next meal. This bird has start- ed nesting on our East End. Another shorebird that has moved into the area is the oystercatcher, which we have seen nesting on Robins Island. There are other birds that have moved into our area from the South. A few have already made their mark on our local bird population, such as BARBARA AND PAUL STOUTENBURGH PHOTOS least tern sits on eggs in its nest, which is nothing more than a depression in the sand that often includes bits of shells. the common cardinal, which was once was absent from our area is now a common nesting bird; so it is also with our mockingbird. I can remember when we first saw that bird nesting on the South Shore over 40 years ago. The photograph with this article was actually taken in 1967. Numbered among these newcomers is also the noisy red -bel- lied woodpecker, a resident many of you are prob- ably familiar with today. As we headed to the car to get back inside be- fore the heat and humidity caught up with us, we saw a tall plant with fuzzy gray - silvery leaves and a few yellow blossoms ai me wp UL LLJ Lail, U;L%,L stem. Here in the dry sand of the upland beach i iur short walk in the was growing along the walkway with other beac' plants. The goldenrod plants are getting large Dolness of the morning wa and will show their bright yellow blossoms as th season moves along and fall comes in. There ar welcome relief from the also other beach plants, like pepper bush, Russia thistle and sea rocket, along the walkway and tb 'at and humidit . upper beach. Our short walk in the coolness of tb morning with its plants and birds was a welcorr relief from the heat and humidity that has laste far too long for all of us. — :)bably on their way south to the Caribbean after having nested in the far north, these sanderlings stopped a local beach to refuel by the water's edge. ,. :)bably on their way south to the Caribbean after having nested in the far north, these sanderlings stopped a local beach to refuel by the water's edge.