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March 04, 2010 - Signs of spring just over the horizonSUFFOLKTIMES.COM I MARCH 4, 2010 1 5A BARBARA AND PAUL STOUTENBURGH PHOTOS Left This male red - bellied woodpecker enjoys a meal at our suet feeder. Many believe this is a red - headed woodpecker, it is one of many woodpeckers with red on their heads. Right We discovered this osprey quietly enjoying its freshly caught fish in a Florida mangrove swamp. Not all ospreys migrate north; some are year-round residents. Signs of spring just over the horizon Lets hope wave seen the last off we dng weather down here in Florida. This week there is concern about whether there will be enough strawberries left after the freezing weather for the Strawberry Festival. However, there are lots of signs of spring show- ing up if you know where to look for them. We are seeing flocks of starlings, male cowbirds and robins here fattening up for their trip north When I see the cowbirds FOCUS ON N.AT UK ft reminds me of the unscrupulous n_ female's habit of lay- ing her eggs in other birds' nests /, That is a real problem for some of our native species, PAULSTOJTEhJ8Ui2GH for when that egg hatches the chick can dominate the nest by pushing out the native cricks, leaving the cowbird to get all the attention For some reason the mother bird never recognizes that she is bringing up someone else's young and continues to do so. From the number of male cow- birds we are seeing passing through, it seems like there will be more of the same going on this year. When you think of spring up north, there's the skunk cabbage that's already making a showing in the wet, swampy places. Then there's the overall favorite sign of spring, the osprey. Down here some of the ospreys have already nested and had their young. We actually see ospreys all winter down here, as they have resident ospreys (called nonuri- gratory ospreys) that do not leave to head north with those that do migrate Down here ospreys nest geographically and can be found nesting at different times than we are used to. Some of the Al s is iV ^4 At the edge of the mangrove swamp the sand below the roots is perforated with fiddler crab burrows. The sand', dark brown color provides the fiddlers with a protective shield against predators_ resident ospreys start nesting way down in the Keys in November and December and others in central Florida in February and March. The middle of Mardi is usually thought of as the time for ospreys to arrive on the North Fork When I talked the other day with Mashomack Preserve's Mike Schebel, he said St Patrick's Day is a good time to watch for their return. So keep your eyes and ears open for the fast sign of your' osprey. They will be arriving and starting to repair their old nest for use again this year. Of course, ospreys f and all sorts of places for nests: broken- ofYdead trees, buoys, ra- dio towers and the like, but today most of the nests on the North Fork are on man-made platforms In January we visited a preserve near the Mote Aquarium in Sarasota and watched an osprey as he enjoyed a freshly caught fish. Thee was a pier out over the water where we were able to get up CPECOXIC TELCO -W.Ak Auftrizad SALES • SERVICE • INSTALLATION OVA � Telephone Systems for Home or Business Reseller ° " °" • Specializing in Panasonic /Avaya (formerly Lucent) Authorized Dealer • Voice Mail • Voice/Data Cabling • Friendly, Reliable Service • Factory Trained Technicians • Emergency Service weGuraftSawkgson • Local/Long Distance Provider ym vpimn Teiephme era for ym aaxreu "We don't treat your phone service like a hobby." \/ 734 -4200 14888- PECONIC dose to Louisiana herons, little blue herons, snowy egrets, white ibis and great blue herons that were feeding on the flats at low tide. Walking back toward the beach we noticed fid- dler crab holes all along the upper beach and were surprised, when one came out of his freshly dug home, to see the beautiful fusty brown color of the crab and his large, brightly colored red daw. As we walked back through the mangrove swamp we spot- ted the osprey sitting on a limb in the sunshine hav- ing lunch. You can tell he wasn't too happy with us disturbing him We took his picture and moved on. Myrtle warblers, mockingbirds and red- bellied woodpeckers are enjoying the blocks of suet and seeds we have outside our window here. Our daugh- ter, who lives next door to us on the North Fork, has been feeding not only red - bellied woodpeckers this winter, but also northern flickers that have stopped by to enjoy the suet Her grandkids enjoy watching the birds up dose just outside the window. We heard from Peg today that she was watching and photographing a squirrel that was busy carry- ing dry leaves up to a hole in a tree just alongside her house. This is the time of year that squirrels mate and have their families. Won't the kids get a kick out of watching those little squirrels as they run up and down that tree as they grow? We may not get there by the time the young ones are out of the nest, but well head north when spring has finally broken the back of winter We are anxious to see the bulbs we planted last fag as they brighten our driveway and then get back to starting up our garden again. We never fire of our water viewhere, a luxury we do not have back home. We watched dolphins play- ing and feeding the other day and a lone but beauti- ful loon excited us as it slowly passed by the dock 0 A MODULAR HOMES, INC. 631 -2s7 -7010 Site Development Build for 112 the cost in 112 the time & Demolition • Customized floor plans • Complete construction management Licensed &Insured - Porches, Decks, Cedar Siding, Garages Call for brochures or visit our website www.tumkeymodular.com Member of the Better Business Bureau MARCH 4, 2010 Si gns of spring just over the horizon Let's hope we've seen the last of freezing weather .own here in Florida. This week there is concern bout whether there will be enough strawberries left fter the freezing weather for the Strawberry Festival, However, there are lots of signs of spring show- 19 up if you know where to look for them. We re seeing flocks of starlings, male cowbirds and )bins here fattening up for their trip north. When I see the cowbirds OCUS ON NATURF it reminds me of the unscrupulous female's habit of lay- s: �m ing her eggs in other IS N birds' nests. That is a real I problem for some of our native species, PAUL STOUTENBURGP for when that egg hatches the chick 94t, "I'll "N rn �MN , ro) can ominate the nest by pushing out the native chicks, leaving the cowbird to get all the attention. For some reason the mother bird never recognizes that she is bringing up someone else's young and continues to do so. From the number of male cow- birds we are seeing passing through, it seems like there will be more of the same going on this year. When you think of spring up north, there's the skunk cabbage that's already making a showing in the wet, swampy places. Then there's the overall favorite sign of spring, the osprey. Down here soma of the ospreys have already nested and had their young. We actually see ospreys all winter down here, as they have resident ospreys (called nonmi- gratory ospreys) that do not leave to head north with those that do migrate. Down here ospreys nest geographically and can be found nesting at different times than we are used to. Some of the resident ospreys start'nestmg way ciowil ill — nvyc in November and December and others in central Florida in February and March. The middle of March is usually-thought of as the time for ospreys to arrive on the North Fork. When I talked the other day with Mashomack Preserve's Mike Scheibel, he said St. Patricles Day is a good time to watch for their return. So keep your eyes an( ears open for the first sign of "your" osprey. They wil be arriving and starting to repair their old nest for use again this year. Of course, ospreys find all sorts of places for nests: broken -off dead trees, buoys, ra- dio towers and the like, but today most of the nests on the. North Fork are on man-made platforms. In January we visited a preserve near the Mote Aquarium in Sarasota and watched an osprey as he enjoyed a freshly caught fish. There was a pier -,,t mror the water where we were able to get�u _ At the edge of the mangrove swamp the sand below th roots is perforated with fiddler crab burrows. The sand dark brown color provides the fiddlers with a protectiv shield against predators. close to Louisiana herons, little blue herons, snowy egrets, white ibis and great blue herons that were feeding on the flats at low tide. Walking back toward the beach we noticed fid- dler crab holes all along the upper beach and were surprised, when one came out of his freshly dug home, to see the beautiful fusty brown color of the crab and his large, brightly colored red claw. As we walked back through the mangrove swamp we spot- ted the osprey sitting on a limb in the sunshine hav- ing lunch. You can tell he wasn't too happy with us disturbing him. We took his picture and moved on. Myrtle warblers, mockingbirds and red - bellied woodpeckers are enjoying the blocks of suet and seeds we have outside our window here. Our daugh- ter, who lives next door to us on the North Fork, has been feeding not only red - bellied woodpeckers this winter, but also northern flickers that have stopped by to enjoy the suet. Her grandkids enjoy watching the birds up close just outside the window. We heard from Peg today that she was watching and photographing a squirrel that was busy carry- ing dry leaves up to a hole in a tree just alongside her house. This is the time of year that squirrels mate and have their families. Won't the kids get a kick out of watching those little squirrels as they run up and down that tree as they grow? We may not get there by the time the young ones are out of the nest, but we'll head north when spring has finally broken the back of winter. We are anxious to see the bulbs we planted last fall as they brighten our driveway and then get back to startQ up our garden again. We never tire of our water view here, a luxury we do not have back home. We watched dolphins play- ing and feeding the other day and a lone but beauti-