May 19, 2011 - On spring lilacs, bats and horseshoe crabsMAY 19, 2011 1 RIVERHEADNEWSREVIEW
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In our family, spring's true mean-
g arrives when the lilacs come into
oom. Whether you have them in
)ur backyard or enjoy your neigh- .
Dr's, the clusters of assorted purple
owers and the aroma of they bring
light stir up thoughts
le were always told, If the lilacs are
i bloom, the weakfish are running."
t is also at this time that schools of
►unkers move into our waters.
When I was a kid, schools of
Junkers were common and a huge
ndustry flourished by utilizing them
For fertilizer, fish meal and other
products. The causeway leading to
Nassau Point was a favorite spot for
farmers who would come down and
PAUL STOUTENBURGH
haul their big nets in a circle around
the schools of bunkers that could be
seen as a dark cloud under the water
But mechanized commercial fishing
of bunkers over the years depleted
their numbers.
Today the industry has died, yet
there are still remnants of those
great schools that our ospreys thrive
on in the early spring. Proof of
these remnants is the osprey that
lights on our windmill carrying a
bunker almost daily now. We can
tell it is a bunker for its silvery body
and forked tail stand out in the late
afternoon light. For an hour or more
the osprey will feast first on the head
and then on the body of the bunker
before leaving.
Along with the lilacs we spoke of
and the beautiful dogwoods in white
and sometimes pink, you can also
spot huge horse chestnut trees with
their unusual upright clusters of
blossoms that brighten up our high -
ways. How many of you have picked
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In our family, spring's true mean-
g arrives when the lilacs come into
oom. Whether you have them in
)ur backyard or enjoy your neigh- .
Dr's, the clusters of assorted purple
owers and the aroma of they bring
light stir up thoughts
le were always told, If the lilacs are
i bloom, the weakfish are running."
t is also at this time that schools of
►unkers move into our waters.
When I was a kid, schools of
Junkers were common and a huge
ndustry flourished by utilizing them
For fertilizer, fish meal and other
products. The causeway leading to
Nassau Point was a favorite spot for
farmers who would come down and
PAUL STOUTENBURGH
haul their big nets in a circle around
the schools of bunkers that could be
seen as a dark cloud under the water
But mechanized commercial fishing
of bunkers over the years depleted
their numbers.
Today the industry has died, yet
there are still remnants of those
great schools that our ospreys thrive
on in the early spring. Proof of
these remnants is the osprey that
lights on our windmill carrying a
bunker almost daily now. We can
tell it is a bunker for its silvery body
and forked tail stand out in the late
afternoon light. For an hour or more
the osprey will feast first on the head
and then on the body of the bunker
before leaving.
Along with the lilacs we spoke of
and the beautiful dogwoods in white
and sometimes pink, you can also
spot huge horse chestnut trees with
their unusual upright clusters of
blossoms that brighten up our high -
ways. How many of you have picked
This bat flew into Fred and Roberta Lee's living room, wh
it spent the night. Although bats may look grotesque
some. thev heir) rid our area of unwanted insPrtc
up trte norse cnesmuts, as i nave,
when they become ripe and discov-
ered that from their bristly covering
emerge the most beautiful dark,
shiny nuts, which as kids we carried
around in our pockets like treasure.
At this time of year there is a mys-
terious wonder that comes to our
shore, the horseshoe crab. My earli-
est recollections of them was when
my dad would go down to the chan-
nel with tarred line and squid and a
hefty lead sinker that he would whir
around and throw out in hopes of
catching one of the early tide runnel
weaxnsn, as mars when the oiggest
ones come up the creeks.
While Dad was fishing, I was free
to wander around and I was always
captivated by the huge masses of
horseshoe crabs roaming along the
high -water mark. Later I learned
they were laying their eggs in the
sand and then disappearing just as
mysteriously as they had arrived, n
to be seen again until the following
year. Here is a relic of 300 million
years ago that is still prodding our
shorelines today
ago, the white dogwood was common along our eastern seaboarc
it is fighting a losing battle with a foreign disease — we've lost six of
-ooertv — vet a few remaining trees seem to be holding their own.
served recently coming up out of the
water and laying their eggs along the
water's edge. There the eggs will stay
and be warmed by the sun until they
are large enough to hatch and float
away with the tide. They will shed
over and over again as they grow.
While over in Napeague Harbor
when camping with our grandchil-
dren I passed some time with my son
snorkeling, and to and behold, I saw
this plowed gravel bed and I could see
who the culprits were — horseshoe
crabs. This was my first introduc-
tion to how horseshoe crabs feed by
living off small organisms and worms
they plow up on the bottom. Their
Shells on the front were polished
From this plowing along the rough
bottom. Here was just one example
)f how much diving and snorkeling
3Ldded to my knowledge of what goes
:)n in the underwater world.
Our son stopped by the other
:light and as he was leaving he called
)ur attention to a great horned owl
hat was silhouetted against the
noonlit sky in the very top of a tall
- vergreen tree. This was probably
he poor soul that has been harassed
'or days by crows. Once they find an
)wl in the daytime they call in all the
roops around and dive and scream
it it until they drive it away. But this
)nly lasts for a short time before
he troops are called again to rally
aound and once again bombard
heir archenemy, the great horned
►wl. Here we were able to see the
►wl enjoying a quiet time while the
tesky crows had gone off for the
tight to roost.
Earlier in the evening Peter had
We haven't seen any bats in a long
time. We even put up a bat house in
hopes of luring them into the yard
but had no luck. Bats are helpful to
us, as they feed on the insects that
man doesn't particularly like to
have around.
It reminded us of a few nights
before when Roger had visited and
was heading back up the lane in the
dark. As he headed down our long
driveway he called back, "There
goes a big bat ... and there goes
another big one."
The next time you see a bat flying
in your yard at dusk be glad he's
there — you'll have fewer annoying
insects around bothering you. In
fact, sources tell us that each bat
can consume up to 1,000 insects in